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Polling places across Indiana to be evaluated for accessibility
Oct. 27, 1999
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University's Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, in conjunction with the Indiana Governor's Planning Council for People with Disabilities and the Indiana State ADA Steering Committee, is announcing a project designed to assist election officials across the state in evaluating the accessibility of polling places for persons with disabilities.
For a variety of reasons -- including inaccessible polling places -- people with disabilities vote at a lower rate than the population as a whole. Through the efforts of the Polling Place Accessibility Project, the sponsors hope to encourage the disability community to become more involved in the political process.
Voters with disabilities participating in the project will complete post cards analyzing the accessibility of their polling places on election day. This information will then be forwarded to county clerks for data analysis and future accessibility considerations. In addition, project participants can report their findings on the Internet at http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/~survey
Those interested in participating in the program or wanting more information may contact John Barth at 812-855-6508 or adainfo@indiana.edu
(Victoria Pappas, 812-855-6508, pappas@indiana.edu)