Elections Division
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Disabilities RightsAccessibility Issues & Resources Using the eSlate Voting System
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Election Worker TrainingDisabilities Rights Information:
Guide to Serving Voters with Disabilities
Conversation Etiquette
- When speaking to a person with a disability, look at and speak directly to that person rather than through a companion or sign language interpreter.
- Relax. Feel free to use accepted, common expressions such as “See you later,” or “Did you hear about that?”
- To get the attention of a person with a hearing impairment, tap the person on the shoulder or wave your hand to get his/her attention; speak directly to the person without raising your voice; keep hands away from your mouth.
- Offer to shake hands. People with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. (Shaking hands with the left hand is an acceptable greeting.)
- Identify yourself and others who may be with you when interacting with a person who is blind or visually impaired.
- Identify the person to whom you are speaking, especially when conversing in a group.
- Do not shout at a person with a hearing impairment. Shouting distorts sounds accepted through hearing aids and it inhibits lip reading.
- Wait until an offer of assistance is accepted, then listen to or ask for instructions of how to help. Ask questions of the individual you are assisting when you are unsure of what to do.
- Remember that service animals are working, and you should not interact with them as you would with a pet.
- Listen attentively when you’re talking with a person who has difficulty speaking. Be patient and wait for the person to finish; ask questions that require short answers; repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond.
- Place yourself at eye level with a person who uses a wheelchair or crutches to facilitate communication.
Disabled Voter Assistance
- Check to see that the accessible path of travel from the parking space to the polling machines is unobstructed by locked doors, furniture, etc.
- Allow the voter with a disability to choose the accommodations he or she requires to vote.
- Assist persons with visual impairments in signing the poll book by placing a card or signature guide along the line.
- Allow persons with visual impairments to take your arm when assisting them to a new location.
- Orient individuals to voting devices by giving detailed verbal instructions. Be patient. If voters continue to have difficulty, ask if they would like for you to “show” them using their hands. Be sure to release their hands periodically so they can “explore” the lay-out of the device.
- Move obstructions that block the path of travel – re-evaluate as the polling place becomes more crowded.
- When giving voter instructions, offer all voters the choice of an audio ballot on the DAU eSlate.
Last Modified:
Friday, October 30, 2009 3:16 PM
