REV UP Voting Issues Guide
A Tool for Voters and Candidates to Understand Key Issues Impacting People with Disabilities
All issues impact people with disabilities, but it can be difficult to know what candidates and policies are good for our communities. To help voters make decisions that align with their values, we created our non-partisan REV UP Voting Issues Guide.
The REV UP Voting Issues Guide answers important questions:
- How does the issue impact disabled people?
- What related policies benefit people with disabilities?
- What related policies harm people with disabilities?
- How can I talk about this issue with others?
The guide talks about voting, education, healthcare, jobs, COVID-19, and much more!
Get the REV UP Voting Guide
If you have questions or feedback about the guide, please email laluri@aapd.com. Check out other resources from REV UP.
REV UP Voting Campaign Guide
What is the REV UP Voting Campaign and how can you and your organization get involved? Learn more by reading the REV UP Voting Guide.
The REV UP Voting Campaign is a nonpartisan national voting initiative focused on advancing the power of the disability vote. Our mission is to foster civic engagement and protect the voting rights of Americans with disabilities. REV UP stands for “Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!” Learn more by reading the REV UP Voting Guide here.
Report: Centering Disability In Technology Policy
Today, AAPD is proud to release a new report in partnership with the Center for Democracy & Technology, “Centering Disability in Technology Policy.” This report delves into some of the ways in which technology can discriminate against disabled people – and what advocacy groups, regulators, and funders can do to change this.
If technology is to meaningfully improve the lives of disabled people, tech policy must deeply listen to and center the experiences of people with disabilities. This report provides a meaningful start. It covers a wide-range of topics, including digital accessibility practices, equitable employment and education access, data privacy, online hate and harassment, law enforcement surveillance, algorithmic bias, and more.
You can read the report by clicking the hyperlink below. A plain language version is also available, and accessible via the previous Publications page.
Read the full report by clicking here.
Centering Disability In Technology Policy: Plain Language Version
Today, AAPD is proud to release a new report with the Center for Democracy & Technology called, “Centering Disability in Technology Policy. This is a plain language version of the report.
Technology can help disabled people get more access. Technology can help disabled people be more independent. But technology can also hurt disabled people. This report reviews some of the ways that technology can hurt and help disabled people. People who make new technology need to be careful, to make sure their new technology does not hurt disabled people.
This report will help other organizations and leaders work on disability and technology issues. You can open the report by clicking on the hyperlink below:
Centering Disability Policy in Technology: Plain Language Version
Disability in the Time of COVID-19
While COVID-19 has impacted the lives of every American, the pandemic has amplified and exacerbated existing disparities faced by people with disabilities, communities of color, women, communities lacking adequate internet and more often with dire consequences. With support from the New America Foundation and Blue Meridian Partners, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) conducted interviews with disability advocates and captured stories of people with disabilities impacted by COVID. We compiled these interviews and stories in a storybook, Disability in the Time of COVID-19. Key recommendations that emerged from the interviews include:
- Increase funding for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS).
- Sustain and expand the Emergency Broadband Benefit established under the CARES Act to build towards inclusive digital infrastructure.
- Reform public benefits to promote financial security and resilience, not poverty.
- Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and secure higher wages for Direct Support Professionals.
Read the stories in Disability in the Time of COVID-19 on our interactive online storybook or in our pdf storybook.
COVID-19 and the Disability Vote
This policy report from the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on voting accessibility and provides key policy recommendations to ensure that voters with disabilities have full access to our democracy in 2020 and beyond. These recommendations include:
State & County Election Offices:
- Make sure all voters can register to vote and cast a ballot remotely.
- Allow voters with disabilities to receive and mark their ballot digitally.
- Make in-person voting safe and accessible with early voting, curbside voting, and more.
- Educate voters on voting rights, options, and safety in multiple and accessible formats.
- Ensure voters in congregate settings can register to vote and cast their ballot.
- Explore, innovate, and test electronic voting methods.
Federal Government:
- Ensure states have the funding needed to make voting safe and accessible this election.
- Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2020 for equitable elections.
- Restore the United States Postal Service’s capacity to deliver election mail on time.
Read the full report.
View the Press Release and Press Toolkit.
