NEW YORK – La Junta Electoral de New York y el Departamento de Vehículos a motor han resuelto una demanda al estar de acuerdo en hacer sus sitios de Internet accesibles para la gente invidente.

Así, Neoyorkinos con discapacidades visuales pronto podrán navegar los sitios de internet de la Junta Electoral y el Departamento de Vehículos a Motor (Board of Elections & Department of Motor Vehicles).

Unos 400 mil electores de todo el estado tienen discapacidades visuales. Pero debido a diseños obsoletos de las páginas Web, no han podido hacer cosas tan simples como actualizar un domicilio, cambiar a un nombre de casada o registrarse para votar.

Bajo los términos de un acuerdo legal alcanzado la semana pasada, esas agencias deben empezar a hacer accesibles sus sitios de internet a quienes padecen de ceguera o de algún daño visual.

Susan Dooha, directora ejecutiva del Centro Para la Independencia de los Discapacitados New York (CIDNY por sus siglas en inglés), dice que los sitios violaron la Ley de Americanos con Discapacidades (Americans with Disabilities Act).

“Al no permitirle a la gente que maneje independiente y privadamente su información electoral, que incluye datos confidenciales, la Junta Electoral (“Board of Elections”) ha estado desanimando a la gente a votar.”

Las agencias tienen hasta el fin de este año para arreglar sus sitios de internet para que cumplan completamente con los Lineamientos de Accesibilidad a Contenidos de la Red (“Web Content Accessibility Guidelines”).

A principios de este año, el Estado de New York pasó unas significativas reformas a la ley electoral que incluyen el voto anticipado y la consolidación de los días primarios. Dooha dice que el acuerdo de mejorar el acceso al sitio de internet de la Junta Electoral representa una ruta paralela.

“Los grupos de Buen Gobierno siempre hemos querido facilitarle las cosas a los electores, y nos hemos unido para apoyar medidas que traigamos gente a las urnas.”

CIDNY también interpuso acciones legales para forzar a la Junta Electoral de la ciudad de Nueva York a asegurar que la ubicación de los sitios de votación sean accesibles para la gente con impedimentos de movilidad.

Aún queda mucho por hacer. Dooha destaca que la mayor parte del sistema “subway” de la ciudad de New York sigue inaccesible para la gente con discapacidades, y CIDNY ha traído una demanda que busca mejorar las condiciones para quienes navegan los peligros que hay en las calles.

“Esperamos alcanzar un acuerdo de solución que requerirá que Nueva York no sólo el “subway” de la Ciudad de New York arregle sus calles y frene recortes como manda la Ley de Americanos con Discapacidades, pero también que mantengan la accesibilidad.”

La demanda contra la Junta Estatal de Elecciones fue hecha por CIDNY en combinación con la Federación Nacional por los Invidentes (“National Federation For the Blind”) y dos demandantes individuales.

Más información en CIDNY.org.


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Nevadans with disabilities are concerned with proposed federal cuts to Medicaid, despite claims from GOP lawmakers that the cuts target only waste, fraud and abuse.

The U.S. Senate is currently considering a federal budget reconciliation package containing cuts to Medicaid and other social safety nets. The bill narrowly passed the House last month, with the latest version proposing cuts to Medicaid worth more than $700 million.

Ace Patrick, a Nevadan living with a disability, said other proposed changes in the bill, such as implementing work requirements to qualify for Medicaid, would be particularly challenging for those with disabilities.

"Those of us that could work, are working," Patrick said. "Those of us that cannot work, and there are many people on disabilities who are unable to work, who are in their homes, in apartments, in group homes, in nursing care facilities - what are they supposed to do without care? It will be devastating and many of us will die."

Republican lawmakers have said work requirements may help boost employment. The majority of Medicaid recipients already work, even if it's for informal jobs that don't produce pay stubs. Health-care advocates argue low-income Americans are already struggling to put food on the table and cover their housing costs, and clearing a work requirement would be yet another hoop to jump through.

About 740,000 Nevadans are enrolled in Nevada Medicaid, according to KFF, a nonprofit specialized in health policy research. The state program covers about 35% of working-age adults living with a disability in the Silver State.

Patrick said politicians in the nation's capital aren't thinking about the consequences of the cuts.

"I don't know what they think we're all going to do," Patrick said. "It's going to overload the ER, if they're even able to manage without getting that kind of income."

Advocates have warned that significant cuts to Medicaid could increase the number of unprofitable hospitals, especially in rural parts of the state, which can then put them at greater risk of financial distress or even closing their doors.

Indiana University now trains police academy recruits in Deaf culture awareness and basic American Sign Language.

The program aims to improve communication between future officers and the Deaf community across campuses statewide.

Brennan Cox, a law student and part-time officer for the Indiana University Police Department, helped launch the course after noticing a gap in police training on interacting with Deaf individuals.

"This training is beneficial for the Deaf community because it creates safer interactions with officers and members of the Deaf community, creates more engagement with the Deaf community," Cox explained. "Really, we just want the Deaf community to know that we want to learn and that officers have a desire to learn about the Deaf community."

The nearly three-hour course features Deaf faculty who teach recruits key signs like "police," "help," and "stop," while emphasizing patience and alternative communication methods.

Cox noted the training also benefits officers themselves.

"What made me want to bring this training to IU Police Academy is I took ASL when I was in my undergraduate at IU for two years," Cox recounted. "It made me really just become passionate about how law enforcement interacts with members of the Deaf community and how we can better serve them."

The program now includes recruits from Indiana University campuses in Bloomington, Indianapolis, and South Bend and plans to expand to other agencies.


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Rural Nevada is facing a housing and transportation crisis. Advocates for those with disabilities say things are getting out of hand.

Dee Dee Foremaster, director of the Rural Center for Independent Living, said there is not enough available low-income housing, and added the units that are available to folks on the Housing Choice Voucher program, formerly called Section Eight, is "substandard."

She added the average Nevadan on Social Security receives almost $1,000 a month. But the average Nevadan can expect to pay around $1,400 a month in rent.

"People are having to double up to be able to make their rent. And it makes it difficult because a lot of times some people with disabilities really would prefer to live by themselves," she said.

Foremaster added she is among those who feel like the calls they are making for housing reform are falling on deaf ears. And while local leaders are eyeing federal lands as part of the solution to address the housing shortage, Foremaster said she has solutions that are more immediate, including creating a program for landlords to receive tax incentives for allocating units to low-income Nevadans.

She stressed that even in rural Nevada, the housing supply isn't able to keep up with demand, and said easing restrictions on accessory dwelling units would help everyone.

"So that people have an array of plans to be able to draw from that are approved, so that they don't have to go through the building commission and hoops that we all have to jump through every time we want to build something on a property," she explained.

Margaret Marcucci, with the Elko support staff of the Rural Center for Independent Living, said a lack of transportation is another issue impacting people's daily lives.

"I won't tell you how many times I get calls from friends, going 'I'm stuck, can you come get me?' or 'Can you take me to an appointment?' said Marcucci. "A lot of our seniors and a lot of disabled do not go to the doctor because they can't get there."

Last year, a free ride-share program launched in rural Nevada to help remove barriers to access medical care. But Marcucci is calling for a more diversified and flexible fleet of services that can get folks to where they need to go.


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