[Ohio-talk] FW: [Nfbnet-members-list] Disability Rights Ohio lawsuit claims Ohio Secretary of State's voting services violate the ADA

Tue Dec 8 15:08:54 UTC 2015

To Shelbi, Barbara and Marianne,

Thank you on behalf of all blind Ohioans!

Read on.

From: Nfbnet-members-list [mailto:nfbnet-members-list-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Kuhnke, Kristian via Nfbnet-members-list
Sent: Tuesday, December 8, 2015 9:08 AM
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Disability Rights Ohio lawsuit claims Ohio
Secretary of State's voting services violate the ADA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Stacy Brannan-Smith
Communications Specialist
Disability Rights Ohio
800-282-9181, ext. 101
sbrannan-smith at disabilityrightsohio.org

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

cdanielsen at nfb.org

Disability Rights Ohio lawsuit claims Ohio Secretary of State's voting
services violate the ADA

December 8, 2015

COLUMBUS, OH - Disability Rights Ohio and the law firm of Brown, Goldstein,
& Levy, LLP, have filed a federal lawsuit
<http://www.disabilityrightsohio.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files
/u62/Hindel_v_Husted_complaint_12-7-15.pdf>  against the office of Ohio
Secretary of State Jon Husted. The suit, filed on behalf of three blind Ohio
voters and the National Federation of the Blind, alleges that some voting
services in Ohio are not accessible. This is in violation of Title II of the
Americans with Disabilities Act.

Registered Ohio voters Shelbi Hindel, Barbara Pierce, and Marianne Denning
are blind and unable to access important voting information and forms on the
Secretary of State's website because of the site's inaccessible design and
inability to work with screen access software. Additionally, because Ohio's
absentee ballots are only available on paper, blind voters are unable to
fill them out without assistance-an infringement on their right to cast a
ballot privately and independently. The suit asks the court to order
Secretary of State Husted's office to make the changes needed to rectify
these problems before the March 15, 2016, primary election in Ohio.

"Voting is important to me, and I want to be able to read through the
materials and be prepared for the upcoming Republican primary," explains
Hindel. "Current technology makes reading text easy for the blind, provided
the text is available in the right format. My polling location recently
moved to a site further from my house, so voting absentee is a more
convenient way for me to exercise my right to vote." 

According to Kristen Henry, attorney at Disability Rights Ohio, "Secretary
of State Husted has the responsibility to ensure that all eligible Ohioans
have equal access to the state's voting systems and resources. The solutions
for the problems we're raising are readily available. Unfortunately, our
attempts to collaborate with the state on this issue have not been
successful."

Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
"The technology to allow blind voters to mark absentee ballots privately and
independently is available and has been used successfully by blind voters,
myself included. This technology protects ballot secrecy and puts blind
voters on an equal footing with all other voters, as well as helping voters
who have disabilities in addition to blindness that prevent them from
getting to a polling place or using the voter technology available there.
The National Federation of the Blind will continue to fight for the right of
blind people in Ohio and throughout the nation to vote privately and
independently."

###

About Disability Rights Ohio: 

Disability Rights Ohio is the federally and state designated Protection and
Advocacy System and Client Assistance Program for the state of Ohio. The
mission of Disability Rights Ohio is to advocate for the human, civil and
legal rights of people with disabilities in Ohio. Disability Rights Ohio
provides legal advocacy and rights protection to a wide range of people with
disabilities.

About the National Federation of the Blind: 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

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