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GA Senate Candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock Reaches Out to Voters with DisabilitiesReverend Raphael Warnock smiling wearing a suit and tie in an empty church

GA Senate Candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock Reaches Out to Voters with Disabilities

Published by Philip Pauli on December 29, 2020

Warnock Completed RespectAbility Candidate Questionnaire and Recorded Video Response for Georgia Disability Vote Forum

Atlanta, Georgia, Dec. 29 – Democratic Senate candidate Reverend Raphael Warnock 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. 

Throughout the 2020 election, nonpartisan disability group RespectAbility has asked Democratic and Republican candidates for President, Governor and the U.S. Senate the same key questions about issues affecting people with disabilities, including employment, education, criminal justice and accessibility The full text of RespectAbility’s questions and Rev. Warnock’s responses follows:

Continue readingGA Senate Candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock Reaches Out to Voters with Disabilities
GA Senate Candidate Jon Ossoff Reaches out to Voters with DisabilitiesJon Ossoff speaking to camera in a screenshot from the video he released on disability issues

GA Senate Candidate Jon Ossoff Reaches out to Voters with Disabilities

Published by Philip Pauli on December 29, 2020

Video statement on the intersection of disability issues in Georgia Senate Runoff

Atlanta, Georgia, Dec. 29 – Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff has reached out to the 1.2 million Georgians with disabilities in a video message released over the Christmas weekend. 

Local disability organizations such as the Georgia Disability Vote Partnership (GDVP) and national groups such as RespectAbility have been reaching out to Democratic and Republican candidates about issues affecting people with disabilities, including employment, education, criminal justice and accessibility. 

However, it has only been in the final few hours of the campaign that candidates are starting to respond. The transcript of Ossoff’s comments can be found below:

Continue readingGA Senate Candidate Jon Ossoff Reaches out to Voters with Disabilities
Georgia Disability Vote Partnership Shines the Spotlight on the Disability Vote in the Senate Candidate Disability ForumPoster advertising Georgia Disability Vote Partnership Senate Candidate Disability Forum. Photos of four Senate candidates from the forum.

Georgia Disability Vote Partnership Shines the Spotlight on the Disability Vote in the Senate Candidate Disability Forum

Published by James Trout on December 29, 2020

Washington, D.C., Dec. 29 – Control of the U.S. Senate depends on two runoff elections in the state of Georgia. While a lot of money is being spent by the candidates and other organizations to get out the vote, Georgia’s disability community has not been getting enough attention in these races. That started to change on Monday evening when the Georgia Disability Vote Partnership hosted a live streamed voting forum featuring all four of Georgia’s Senate runoff candidates. The forum showed answers from all candidates to the same questions: 1) Why is it so important for the disability community to be involved in the political process? 2) How do you plan to engage the disability community to be more involved and active in the laws, decisions and policies that affect our lives?

Continue readingGeorgia Disability Vote Partnership Shines the Spotlight on the Disability Vote in the Senate Candidate Disability Forum
Georgia Disability Voter Access, Pollsters & Exit PollsPhotos of four candidates in Georgia Senate runoff elections. Georgia state flag in middle

Georgia Disability Voter Access, Pollsters & Exit Polls

Published by Philip Pauli on December 28, 2020

As the nation waits for the Georgia Senate runoff next week, disability organization calls on pollsters and media to track disability participation and access.

Washington, D.C., Dec. 28 – With the political universe centered on the Senate runoff in Georgia, the unique needs and barriers of Georgians with disabilities could very well factor into to the outcome of the race. Thus, the national nonpartisan disability inclusion organization RespectAbility is asking pollsters, polling firms and political consultants to track voters with disabilities in their demographic data, as well as voter access exit polling.

According to the 2019 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, the total number of Georgians with disabilities is 1,246,077, making up 12.1 percent of the total state population. 2018 employment data show that there are 658,811 working-age people with disabilities in Georgia. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 238,875 (or 36.3 percent) of those Georgians had a job.

Thus far, there has been little outreach to voters with disabilities from all four Senate candidates in the runoff race. As noted by RespectAbility in November, none of the four candidates even mention the word disability on their campaign websites. None of the Senate candidates’ websites are fully accessible to the 254,972 Georgians who are blind or low vision. And very few of the candidates’ videos have captions, making them inaccessible to the 328,000 deaf and hard of hearing Georgians.

Continue readingGeorgia Disability Voter Access, Pollsters & Exit Polls
New Focus Group Report Shows Lack Of Attention To Georgia Voters with DisabilitiesLogos for Democracy Corps and Greenberg Research. Text: Focus Group Report: Engaging voters with disabilities in the Georgia runoff

New Focus Group Report Shows Lack Of Attention To Georgia Voters with Disabilities

Published by Eric Ascher on December 23, 2020

Washington, D.C., Dec. 22 – Control of the United States Senate depends on two runoff elections in the state of Georgia. While a lot of money is being spent by the candidates and other organizations to get out the vote, a new report about two focus groups indicates that Georgia’s disability community is not getting enough attention in these races. In fact, at the time these focus groups were conducted, none of the participants were able to recall having seen or heard anything from the Senate candidates regarding people with disabilities.

Screenshot of page one of the focus group memo

Read the focus group report

On behalf of RespectAbility and the Georgia Disability Vote Partnership (GDVP), Greenberg Research and Democracy Corps conducted 2 sets of online video focus groups among registered voters with disabilities in Georgia; one group of white women on December 16th and one group of Black women on December 17th. According to Greenberg Research and Democracy Corps, “for voters with disabilities, health care costs and accessibility are the dominant issues right now.”

Continue readingNew Focus Group Report Shows Lack Of Attention To Georgia Voters with Disabilities
Tillis, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins North Carolina Senate RaceThom Tillis walking down a hallway with a policewoman

Tillis, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins North Carolina Senate Race

Published by Stephanie Santo on November 10, 2020

Raleigh, NC, Nov. 10 – Incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis has won a hotly contested race to continue representing North Carolina in the U.S. Senate, beating Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham.

Tillis completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of their communities. Cunningham, in his attempt to unseat Sen. Tillis, also completed the RespectAbility questionnaire. 

Continue readingTillis, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins North Carolina Senate Race
Joe Biden Bet Big on Disability Issues and WonJoe Biden speaks behind a microphone at his campaign kickoff rally in 2019
Collins, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Maine Senate RaceSenator Susan Collins smiling speaking to someone off camera with a crowd behind her

Collins, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Maine Senate Race

Published by Stephanie Santo on November 4, 2020

Portland, Maine, Nov. 4 – Incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins has won a hotly contested race to continue representing Maine in the U.S. Senate, beating Democratic challenger and Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Sara Gideon.  

Sen. Collins completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Gideon, in her attempt to unseat Sen. Collins, also completed the RespectAbility questionnaire. 

Continue readingCollins, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Maine Senate Race
Disability Allies Win Races for Senate & GovernorHeadshots of seven candidates who won their elections after completing RespectAbility's disability questionnaire

Disability Allies Win Races for Senate & Governor

Published by Eric Ascher on November 4, 2020

Updated Nov. 10

Washington, D.C., Nov. 4 – It is the morning after Election Day 2020 and many results are still being counted. RespectAbility stresses the importance of counting every vote, particularly as many people with disabilities chose to vote early – both in-person and via mail – in this election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several states have not counted all of their early voting ballots yet. 

Although many results are still not finalized, several candidates who support opportunities for people with disabilities already have been declared as winners. These individuals completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of their communities. 

Continue readingDisability Allies Win Races for Senate & Governor
Daines, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Montana Senate RaceSteve Daines speaking wearing a suit and tie

Daines, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Montana Senate Race

Published by Chinyere Azike on November 4, 2020

Helena, Montana, Nov. 4 – Incumbent Republican Senator Steve Daines has won a hotly contested race to continue to represent Montana in the U.S. Senate, beating Democratic challenger Gov. Steve Bullock.

Sen. Daines completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of their communities. Gov. Bullock, in his attempt to unseat Sen. Daines, also completed the RespectAbility questionnaire. 

Continue readingDaines, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Montana Senate Race
Cooper, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Second Term as North Carolina GovernorRoy Cooper stands behind a podium

Cooper, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Second Term as North Carolina Governor

Published by Stephanie Santo on November 3, 2020

Raleigh, North Carolina, Nov. 3 – Democratic incumbent Roy Cooper has won a hotly contested race for the North Carolina Governorship, beating Republican challenger Dan Forest.  

Gov. Cooper completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of their communities. Forest, despite multiple requests, did not respond to the questionnaire.

Continue readingCooper, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Second Term as North Carolina Governor
Hickenlooper, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Colorado Senate RaceJohn Hickenlooper smiles for the camera

Hickenlooper, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Colorado Senate Race

Published by Philip Pauli on November 3, 2020

Denver, Colorado, Nov. 3 – Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has won a hotly contested race for the Colorado Senate seat, beating Republican incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner.  

Senator-Elect Hickenlooper completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of their communities. Sen. Gardner, despite multiple requests, did not respond to the questionnaire.

Continue readingHickenlooper, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Colorado Senate Race
Holcomb, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Second Term as Indiana’s GovernorGovernor Eric Holcomb gives a speech in front of flags for America and the state of Georgia

Holcomb, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Second Term as Indiana’s Governor

Published by Philip Pauli on November 3, 2020

Indianapolis, Indiana, Nov. 3 – Incumbent Republican Governor Eric Holcomb has won a second term as Indiana’s governor, beating Democratic challenger Dr. Woodrow Myers.

Gov. Holcomb completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of their communities. Gov. Holcomb’s opponent, Dr. Woodrow Myers, also completed the RespectAbility questionnaire.

Continue readingHolcomb, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Second Term as Indiana’s Governor
Carney, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Reelection as Delaware’s GovernorGovernor John Carney speaking into a microphone wearing a suit and tie

Carney, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Reelection as Delaware’s Governor

Published by Chinyere Azike on November 3, 2020

Dover, Delaware, Nov. 3 – Incumbent Democratic Gov. John Carney has won a second term as Delaware’s Governor, beating Republican challenger Julianne Murray.  

Gov. Carney completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for Presidential, Senate and Gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of their communities. Julianne Murray, despite multiple requests, did not respond to the questionnaire.

Continue readingCarney, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Reelection as Delaware’s Governor
Voters with Disabilities Makes Their Votes Count in New 2020 Battleground PollScreenshot of poll results shown Biden with a 25 point lead in presidential vote among people with disabilities

Voters with Disabilities Makes Their Votes Count in New 2020 Battleground Poll

Published by Lauren Appelbaum on November 2, 2020

Battleground voters with disabilities break decisively for Biden as 2020 comes to a head. 

Washington, D.C., Nov. 2 – In an election like no other, a new poll indicates that voters with disabilities and voters in the wider disability community are overwhelming voting for Democrat Joe Biden. This battleground state poll, conducted by Democracy Corps on behalf of the disability inclusion organization RespectAbility, shows that when asked, 60 percent of voters with disabilities cast their vote for Biden compared to only 51 percent of voters without disabilities. 

Digging deeper into the poll shows a 25-point split between those people with disabilities supporting Biden and those supporting the President. Fully 60 percent of voters with disabilities say they have or will vote for Joe Biden, compared to only 35 percent of voters with disabilities supporting President Trump. Likewise, the Greenberg poll also captures the views of voters who are part of the wider disability community, such as having family or friends with disabilities. Similarly to people with disabilities themselves, 60 percent of voters who are members of the wider community support Biden compared to 35 percent supporting the President. Among voters without disabilities, 51 percent supported Biden compared to 46 percent supporting Trump. 

Continue readingVoters with Disabilities Makes Their Votes Count in New 2020 Battleground Poll
Easterseals Survey: 30+ Million Voters with Disabilities Participating in the 2020 ElectionLogos for Easterseals and Pathfinder. Text: New Poll Data. Photo of three RespectAbility team members holding up signs that say "Earn My Vote".

Easterseals Survey: 30+ Million Voters with Disabilities Participating in the 2020 Election

Published by Eric Ascher on October 30, 2020

91% of Eligible Voters with disabilities have already voted or say they will

Rockville, Maryland, Oct. 30 – A new survey from Easterseals and Pathfinder Opinion Research conducted between October 20 and October 25 has found that, despite fear of exposure to COVID-19, voters with disabilities are highly engaged in the 2020 election. Eighty-nine percent of respondents to the survey were registered to vote. Of that, 47 percent already have voted, and 49 percent more say they definitely or probably will vote. More than half of respondents were “extremely enthusiastic” about voting, and 65 percent were more enthusiastic about voting in this election than prior elections.

According to an Easterseals’ press release on the survey, “Health care and COVID-19 are, by far, the two top issues driving voters with disabilities to the polls. All other issues, such as crime, public safety, immigration, employment, the environment and the Supreme Court, rank far lower in importance.”

Continue readingEasterseals Survey: 30+ Million Voters with Disabilities Participating in the 2020 Election
Young Voters with Disabilities Say to #RespectTheVote#RespectTheVote written in red, respectability's yellow color, and blue. Learn more at RespectTheVote.org

Young Voters with Disabilities Say to #RespectTheVote

Published by Lauren Appelbaum on October 22, 2020

Washington, D.C., Oct. 22 – A new PSA featuring young adults with disabilities and their allies is urging all voters to have a plan to vote and hold their elected officials accountable. 

When politicians plan who to reach out to in their campaigns, they rarely consider the disability population in America. One in four adults in the United States have a disability, all of whom deserve to be considered when policies and plans are made on a government level. Researchers at Rutgers University estimate that approximately 38.3 million people with disabilities already are eligible to vote in this year’s election, which is roughly one-sixth of the electorate. RespectAbility is urging even more to register and vote in the days ahead. 

Continue readingYoung Voters with Disabilities Say to #RespectTheVote
RespectAbility Urges Pollsters to Track the Disability Voice and VoteThree RespectAbility team members holding up signs that say "Earn My Vote". Text: Disability Community Urges Pollsters to Track their Voice and Votes

RespectAbility Urges Pollsters to Track the Disability Voice and Vote

Published by Lauren Appelbaum on October 21, 2020

Washington, D.C., Oct. 21 – With one in four adults having a disability, the national, nonpartisan disability inclusion organization RespectAbility is urging pollsters and polling firms to include people who live with a physical, sensory, cognitive or other disability in their polling data. For decades pollsters have included demographics by race, gender, age and educational levels. However, voters with disabilities often are left out of polling.

Researchers at Rutgers University estimate that approximately 38.3 million people with disabilities are eligible to vote in this year’s election, which is roughly one-sixth of the electorate. “Millions of Americans with disabilities are more engaged and active than ever before and it’s time for us to be counted, just like anyone else,” said RespectAbility’s President, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi. 

The one in four adults with the disability include people with spinal cord injuries, low vision or who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, as well as those with learning disabilities, mental health conditions, Autism or other disabilities. The sheer number of people with disabilities makes them the nation’s largest minority community. 

Continue readingRespectAbility Urges Pollsters to Track the Disability Voice and Vote
Voter Guide for 934,396 Washingtonians with DisabilitiesWashington State Flag

Voter Guide for 934,396 Washingtonians with Disabilities

Published by Philip Pauli on October 6, 2020

Key actions and positions posted on the intersection of disability and education, jobs, immigration, climate crisis, criminal justice and more

by Philip Kahn-Pauli

Olympia, WA, Oct. 6 – In the run up to the 2020 election in Washington, the nonpartisan disability rights nonprofit RespectAbility has released its latest Washington State Voter Guide. According to the 2019 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, the total number of Washingtonians with disabilities is 934,396, making up 12.6 percent of the total state population.

2018 employment data shows that there are 478,622 working-age people with disabilities living in Washington State. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 195,251 of those Washingtonians had a job and the Evergreen State had a disability employment rate of 40.8 percent.

The nonpartisan disability group RespectAbility has asked Democratic and Republican candidates for President, Governor and the U.S. Senate the same seven key questions about issues affecting people with disabilities, including employment, education, criminal justice and accessibility. RespectAbility has sent multiple emails and placed many phone calls to the campaigns in order to solicit responses to the questionnaire. Below you can read responses from candidates on the ballot in Washington who have already taken the time to address the concerns of voters with disabilities. 

Continue readingVoter Guide for 934,396 Washingtonians with Disabilities
Voter Guide for 717,104 South Carolinians with DisabilitiesSouth Carolina state flag with a tree and the moon

Voter Guide for 717,104 South Carolinians with Disabilities

Published by Philip Pauli on October 6, 2020

Key actions and positions posted on the intersection of disability and education, jobs, immigration, climate crisis, criminal justice and more

by Philip Kahn-Pauli

Columbia, SC, Oct. 6 – In the run up to the 2020 election in South Carolina, the nonpartisan disability rights nonprofit RespectAbility has released its latest South Carolina State Voter Guide. According to the 2019 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, the total number of South Carolinians with disabilities is 717,104, making up 14.4 percent of the total state population.

2018 employment data shows that there are 366,373 working-age people with disabilities living in South Carolina. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 122,332 of those South Carolinians had a job and the Palmetto State had a disability employment rate of 33.4 percent. 

The nonpartisan disability group RespectAbility has asked Democratic and Republican candidates for President, Governor and the U.S. Senate the same seven key questions about issues affecting people with disabilities, including employment, education, criminal justice and accessibility. RespectAbility has sent multiple emails and placed many phone calls to the campaigns in order to solicit responses to the questionnaire. Below you can read responses from candidates on the ballot in South Carolina who have already taken the time to address the concerns of voters with disabilities. 

Continue readingVoter Guide for 717,104 South Carolinians with Disabilities

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