Special Education Today Newsletter 3(20)

What was the content covered last week in SET?

Welcome to the 20th issue for the third year of Special Education Today. Thanks to those subscribers who support SET by creating paid subscriptions. Over the coming weeks and months, readers who have paid subscriptions will see increments in the benefits of their subscriptions. Stay tuned!

As usual, in this issue of the SET newsletter, there is a table of contents for the previous week’s posts, sundry notes, and a bit of commentary. Read on!

Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

Table of contents

There were posts about voting recently here on SET, and there’s more in the commentary later in this issue of the newsletter. Here are all the pickings for the previous week.

• Special Education Today Newsletter 3(19)—What’s the news and information for 6 November 2023?

• Support voting and vote!—US readers, please complete the civic duty of voting

• Voting by and for people with disabilities—What fundamental rights should special educators ensure?

• Remote help for caregivers implementing evidence-based practices—How about providing support for people in remote locations?

• Friday photo: Thursday's sunrise!—Does a sunrise such as this one portend a good day?

• Invite friends to read Special Education Today by John Wills Lloyd—Did you know that sharing comes with benefits?

• Australian rates of autism are increasing—What could cause world-leading identification rates?

Status notes

Thanks to those of you who are referring friends, students, and colleagues to Special Education Today! Please keep doing so, as every now and again those referrals turn into new subscribers. Thanks, too, for contributing to the > 1200 unique visitors to the site last week.

Meanwhile, welcome to Rob A., Arty C., Sandra H., and N. M., who somehow jumped aboard this rollercoaster last week as free riders. I hope you enjoy the trip!

A couple of paid subscribers fell off the cart recently. Apparently the reason they dropped was that their credit cards had changed. As I can, I shall send notes to subscribers whose subscriptions via Stripe fail, but if you discover you no longer have access to subscriber-only content (e.g., the archived posts), please log into your account and check the credit card information.

Commentary

I have not shaken my interest in supporting voting, both an interest in enabling people with disabilities to exercise their franchise and a broader interest in encouraging everyone to participate in democratic processes. Given this interest, I was alert when I saw additional content related to voting by individuals with disabilities. Here are some notes reflecting that additional content.

News coverage (US-centric)

1. ‘There is still work to be done’: Voters with disabilities face unaddressed barriers to the ballot: From transportation troubles to a lack of accessible equipment, researchers estimate that if accommodations were prioritized, over 2 million more votes would be cast. By Katherine Gilyard, 9 November 2023. (Reprinted by PBS Newshour as “Report finds people with disabilities continue to face outsized barriers to voting” and by Giving Compass as “Barriers to voting for people with disabilities”)

2. Department of Justice Fights To Improve Voting Accessibility by Jack McElaney¹, 10 November 2023, which provided links to multiple stories, including these:

   1. DOJ Takes Steps To Improve Voting Accessibility Ahead of Elections by Madeleine Greenberg, 7 November 2023

   2. People with disabilities need more options for voting, which could improve turnout, study says by Chloe Sutterfield 3 November 2023

3. Voting With a Disability: Breaking Down Barriers to the Ballot: With accessible voting under attack, we’re bringing people with disabilities the information they need to vote. By Brian Dimmick and Aaron Madrid Aksoz of the American Civic Liberties Union, 26 October 2022.

4. John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, from the Human Rights Campaign, 7 November 2023

Resources about voting & disability (mostly US-centric)

1. Welcome to our state-by-state guide empowering voters with disabilities:

   Providing the answers to ensure voting is accessible for all! From the US Vote Foundation, no date.

2. Voting Accessibility for People with Disabilities Fact Sheet from the National Council on Disability

3. Voting and Polling Places, from ADA.gov of the US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, no date.²

Research (mostly international)

1. Ambali, A., & Aslyanbi, K. A. (2022). The influence of electoral acts on the voting behaviour of persons with disabilities in the 2023 general elections in Oyo State. ACU Journal of Social Sciences, 1(1). https://ajss.acu.edu.ng/index.php/ajss/article/view/112

2. Mráz, A. (2023). A hard case for the ethics of supported voting: Cognitive and communicative disabilities, and incommunicability. Contemporary Political Theory 22, 353–374. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41296-022-00602-4

3. Rabitsch, A., Moledo, A., & Lidauer, M. (2023). Inclusive elections? The case of persons with disabilities in the European Union. South African Journal of International Affairs, https://doi.org/10.1080/10220461.2023.2275669

It appears to me that this (admittedly selective) sample of sources indicates that I have lots to learn on subject of voting by individuals with disabilities. I welcome company as I continue this exploration.

Meanwhile, please continue to take care of yourselves and those with whom you are close, give a damn about our Earthly environment, and teach your children well.

JohnL

John Wills Lloyd, Ph.D.
UVA Professor Emeritus
Founder & Editor, https://www.SpecialEducationToday.com/

1. In “Digital Accessibility Digest,” I found a collection of news items regarding disability. The items are local, national, and international. It’s a source I plan to follow.

2. Disclosure: I have consulted with the Civil Rights Division of Justice, but not on any case related to this topic. I received no compensation for promoting the work linked here.