Month: September 2022

RespectAbility Disability Voters’ Guide: Pennsylvania

RespectAbility Disability Voters’ Guide: Pennsylvania

Published by Gabrielle Zwi on September 28, 2022

Harrisburg, PA, September 28 – In the run up to the 2022 midterm elections, the nonpartisan disability rights nonprofit RespectAbility has released its latest Pennsylvania Disability Voters’ Guide. According to the 2021 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, there are more than 1,856,929 Pennsylvanians with disabilities, making up 14.5 percent of the total state population.

The nonpartisan disability group RespectAbility has asked Democratic and Republican candidates the same five key questions about issues affecting people with disabilities, including employment, education, and accessibility. RespectAbility has sent multiple emails and placed many phone calls to the campaigns in order to solicit responses to the questionnaire.

RespectAbility Disability Voters’ Guide: Maryland

RespectAbility Disability Voters’ Guide: Maryland

Published by Gabrielle Zwi on September 28, 2022

Annapolis, MD, September 28 – In the run up to the 2022 midterm elections, the nonpartisan disability rights nonprofit RespectAbility has released its latest Maryland Disability Voters’ Guide. According to the 2021 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, there are more than 694,317 Marylanders with disabilities, making up 11.6 percent of the total state population.

RespectAbility Disability Voters’ Guide: New Hampshire

RespectAbility Disability Voters’ Guide: New Hampshire

Published by Adina Karten on September 28, 2022

Concord, NH, September 28 – In the run up to the 2022 midterm elections, the nonpartisan disability rights nonprofit RespectAbility has released its latest New Hampshire Disability Voters’ Guide. According to the 2021 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, there are more than 183,112 New Hampshire residents with disabilities, making up 13.4 percent of the total state population.

RespectAbility Disability Voters’ Guide: Nevada

RespectAbility Disability Voters’ Guide: Nevada

Published by Rostom Dadian on September 28, 2022

Carson City, NV, September 28 – In the run up to the 2022 midterm elections, the nonpartisan disability rights nonprofit RespectAbility has released its latest Nevada Disability Voters’ Guide. According to the 2021 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, there are more than 422,943 Nevada residents with disabilities, making up 13.4 percent of the total state population.

RespectAbility Disability Voters’ Guide: Los Angeles

Los Angeles skyline with a mountain in the background

RespectAbility Disability Voters’ Guide: Los Angeles

Published by Rostom Dadian on September 28, 2022

Los Angeles, CA, September 28 – In the run up to the 2022 midterm elections, the nonpartisan disability rights nonprofit RespectAbility has released its latest Los Angeles Disability Voters’ Guide. According to the 2021 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, there are more than 992,000 Angelenos with disabilities. In Los Angeles County, the disability community makes up 9.9 percent of the population, and fully 11.3 percent of California’s statewide population has a disability. 

Sixteen Major Midterm Campaign Websites Leave Out Disabled Voters: Why It Matters

Published by Eric Ascher on September 28, 2022

71% of people with disabilities leave a website immediately if it is not accessible

Washington, D.C., Sept 28 – While one-in-four adults in the U.S. have a disability, and despite continued pressure from disability organizations and activists, 16 of the most prominent midterm campaign websites are not fully accessible to disabled voters. These are the findings of the latest study from Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, released September 27 in Time Magazine.

While 2020 was a difficult year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also a remarkable election year for voters with disabilities. As noted by Rutgers and EAC, “Close to 75 percent of voters with disabilities voted with a mail ballot or early in-person” and “five of six (83 percent) of voters with disabilities voted independently without any difficulty.” 17.7 million voters with disabilities cast their ballots in the 2020 election. These voters are crucial and can make the difference between a winning or a losing campaign.

What National Voter Registration Day Means for Voters with Disabilities

Collage of voting-related photos in the background. Text: Proud Community Partner of National Voter Registration Day. Celebrating 10 years. 2012-2022. NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org

What National Voter Registration Day Means for Voters with Disabilities

Published by Philip Pauli on September 20, 2022

Washington, D.C., September 20 – Today, RespectAbility celebrates National Voter Registration Day. According to the official website, “National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating our democracy. First observed in 2012, it has quickly gained momentum ever since. Nearly 4.7 million voters have registered to vote on the holiday to date.”

With the 2022 midterm elections only 49 days away, time is running out for people to complete their voter registration. As RespectAbility encourages all voters to ensure they are registered, it also is important to bring attention to the distinct barriers faced by a major voting bloc that is all too often ignored when their exercise their right to vote – the one in five Americans living with a disability.

In total, there are 61 million adults with disabilities across the country. Yet despite the size of the community, voters with disabilities face distinct barriers when it comes to exercising their right to vote. According to researchers at Rutgers University and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC): “one in nine voters with disabilities encountered difficulties voting in 2020,” and “voting difficulties were most common among people with vision and cognitive impairments.”

Cortez Masto Completes Disability Candidate Questionnaire in Nevada Senate Race

Official senate portrait of Catherine Cortez Masto

Cortez Masto Completes Disability Candidate Questionnaire in Nevada Senate Race

Published by Eric Ascher on September 8, 2022

Carson City, NV, September 8 – Incumbent Nevada Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto has responded to a detailed candidate questionnaire on disability issues. The questionnaire is from RespectAbility, a nonpartisan nonprofit disability organization that does not endorse candidates. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes.

One-in-five Americans has a disability, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. People with disabilities are America’s largest minority group. It is also the only one that, due to accident, aging or illness, anyone can join at any time. Indeed, there are more than 422,943 people living with some form of disability in Nevada and their votes could be crucial in deciding who will represent them in the United States Senate.

Senator Cortez Masto is the first candidate in the upcoming Nevada Senate race to respond to RespectAbility’s candidate questionnaire. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes. RespectAbility has reached out to key Senate and gubernatorial campaigns on both sides of the aisle and will be posting all responses on The RespectAbility Report.

Bass Completes Disability Candidate Questionnaire in Los Angeles Mayoral Runoff

Published by Philip Pauli on September 7, 2022

Los Angeles, CA, September 7 – Los Angeles mayoral candidate and Democratic Congresswoman Karen Bass has responded to a detailed candidate questionnaire on disability issues. The questionnaire is from RespectAbility, a nonpartisan nonprofit disability organization that does not endorse candidates. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes.

According to the 2021 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, there are approximately one million people living in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area with some form of disability. The disability community makes up 9.9 percent of the population in Los Angeles County and fully 11.3 percent of California’s state population.

RespectAbility has asked Democratic and Republican candidates in key races across the country a series of questions about issues affecting people with disabilities, including employment, education, and accessibility. RespectAbility has sent multiple emails and placed many phone calls to the campaigns in order to solicit responses to our questionnaires.

RespectAbility Joins National Dialogue on Registered Apprenticeships

Twenty current and former RespectAbility team members give thumbs up on a Zoom meeting

RespectAbility Joins National Dialogue on Registered Apprenticeships

Published by Philip Pauli on September 6, 2022

Washington, D.C., September 6 – As of July 2022, there were more than 11 million job openings across the nation’s labor market. One of the ways that employers are looking to onboard new talent and expand good paying jobs is through the continued expansion of registered apprenticeship programs. As of 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor reported more than 636,000 apprentices participating in more than 26,000 different programs nationwide. However, many of those programs have historically been inaccessible to workers with disabilities.

The U.S. Department of Labor is seeking to making the nation’s apprenticeship system more accessible, inclusive, and successful for thousands of new workers in the labor market. In order to address these challenges, the Department is currently hosting an online, national policy dialogue about apprenticeships.

In response, the policy professionals of RespectAbility, a national nonpartisan inclusion organization, contributed to the ePolicyWorks dialogue, advising the government and employers on lessons learned from their own efforts as an employer and on proven practices from across the country.