Around the
Water Cooler
.JPG)
Election TimeDavid Chapple
Well it is election time again so it is time for every American to decide to vote for. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Democrat or Republican, young or old, a person with a disability or not; every American needs to vote!
I can understand that people who are reading this might be disillusioned and frustrated with government and politics, but that is all the more reason for every one of us to vote. However, you do need to be an educated voter. This month’s column is about being an AAC stakeholder concerned with a candidate’s position on disability issues. I’m writing specifically to the voter with a disability who may not be taking their civic responsibility in being fully informed before voting.
Setting aside the current “Wall Street” financial crisis, personally the biggest issue for me as a person with a disability is how to revise the Medicaid/Medicare policies. This affects my health care, my attendant care, and my purchasing of equipment. I realize these issues don’t pertain just to people who use AAC; however the facts are, as communication device users, we are usually in wheelchairs, we do need attendant care, and we do sometimes have serious health issues. Therefore, it is important for all of us, being a part of the disability community, to be informed which candidate you think has the best health care policies and trust to follow through with policy change. This may be even more critical given how the national debt will be affected by the decisions to handle the banking crisis. Many of the proposed platform policies of the campaign may be shelved by the mounting debt, we don’t want to our issues minimized.
In my opinion the most powerful thing we can do not as Americans with disabilities concerned about AAC, is to have our voices heard. In order to be heard, however, you need to be informed and speak with the facts. Take the time to search for the information on the disability policies of the various national and state candidates on the ballots.
Consider getting to a rally for the candidate of your choice. If close to where you live, you should go. Years ago, I went to a political rally and it is something that I will never forget. I even got to shake hands with the presidential candidate – it was an awesome experience. Our voices and visibility may inspire candidates do something positive for us in Washington.
Every American gets to voice their opinion every four years by voting for our president, and we have to take advantage of that. But as an American with a disability you have to educate yourself on the issues that affect you the most, such as health care. Now, I really hope to see that voters who use AAC will be a force in this year’s election. I know I will be a part of it.
Note: The AAC Institute does not support any candidate. We encourage informed voting on the issues that impact people with disabilities and advocate for bipartisan collaboration to find solutions that will improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and their families.
Your feedback is always valued. AACConsumerNet@aacinstitute.org.
