Press Release Archive

Disability Groups Urges Secretary Land To Purchase Accessible Voting Machines FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 24, 2005 Contact: Tom Masseau (517) 487-1755 (517) 648-0029 (Lansing, Mich.) – Today, 23 disability rights organizations based in Michigan have submitted a request to Secretary Land urging her to purchase accessible voting machines as mandated by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). The letter underscores the state’s responsibility to provide members of the disability community the opportunity to participate equally in the electoral process. “Secretary Land, as the Chief Election Official, is responsible for ensuring Michigan’s compliance under HAVA. In order to do this properly, the input of the disability community has to be taken into consideration.” says Kyle DuBuc, Special Projects Coordinator with Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc. Mr. DuBuc further states, “The intent of this letter is to bring Michigan’s disability community together to speak with a unified voice on these issues.” The letter makes reference to the ongoing national debate over accessible voting machines and declares support for the position released by the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), based in Washington D.C. NDRN has taken the stance that they support a fair, complete, and factually-accurate dialogue within the disability community about the accessibility of voting machines. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was passed by Congress in 2002. Under HAVA states must purchase and place accessible voting machines by January 1, 2006. # # # Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service, Inc. is a statewide organization that advocates for individuals with disabilities

Other Resources

Contact Us: 202-408-9514 ext.122 press@ndrn.org or in your state: Choose your State Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Native American Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Marianas Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Press Kit: NDRN At-a-Glance [PDF] NDRN History [PDF] [HTML] Executive Profile [PDF] [HTML] P&A Programs [PDF] Guidelines for Reporting and Writing about People with Disabilities (opens another window): Reflecting input from over 100 national disability organizations, the Guidelines explain preferred terminology and offer suggestions for appropriate ways to describe people with disabilities. Although opinions may differ on some terms, the Guidelines represent the current consensus among disability organizations.