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on 28 November 2006 (#11708425)

One night we were discussing how little attention disability rights garners in US elections, how low the turnout is for disabled american voters (mostly due to inaccessibility), and what a force disabled americans could and *should* be, if only we had some central database - somewhere to go that listed exactly who voted for what disability legislation, how to get a ride to the polls no matter what state you live in, what your rights are if your polling place is inaccessible... we checked the US census and found out that there are roughly 40 million disabled Americans. What if we all made known that we wanted disability issues taken seriously? That no matter whom we elected, we charged them with helping us to lead full lives, where we could be employed, pay taxes, get married without penalty if we so chose... What would happen if we all stood up? What would happen if, in 2008, we *forced* disability issues to be a top domestic issue?

But we can't do it alone. We need help to get this done. We need people to help compile voting records, help drafting questions that will be sent to all 08 candidates (all parties), help with testing website accessibility, help compiling contact info for organizations that provide rides to the polls, help with brainstorming for other, already established organizations that might be willing to lend an ear. Both of us deal with chronic pain and disability related fatigue, so we understand having limited mental and physical resources... if you can and want to help even a little, we welcome you to our cause.

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