{"id":21699,"date":"2024-07-26T14:06:17","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T14:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/?p=21699"},"modified":"2024-07-26T14:06:17","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T14:06:17","slug":"partner-new-disabled-south","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/partner-new-disabled-south\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&#038;A With New Disabled South\u2019s Lila Zucker: \u201cThe ADA is the floor. Not the ceiling.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VoteRiders Digital Communications Coordinator Erin Carden spoke with New Disabled South\u2019s Organizing Director Lila Zucker about Disability Pride, the importance of partnership, and what it means to navigate the voting process as a disabled American. \u2014 JULY 26, 2024<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Tell me about yourself and your role at New Disabled South.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My name is Lila Zucker, I use she, her, and hers pronouns. I grew up in New York City and spent most of my life in Oregon, but Louisiana has been home for 13 years. I&#8217;m a queer, disabled organizer. I have been organizing since I was in high school and have been with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newdisabledsouth.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Disabled South<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for almost a year as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newdisabledsouth.org\/lila-zucker-bio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organizing Director<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My job is to help facilitate connections between disabled folks and organizations across the South to break down silos and help support the organizing that\u2019s happening on the ground and the work that&#8217;s being done to uplift, organize, and support disabled people in our communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What is your organization\u2019s mission and what are some of your key initiatives for 2024?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newdisabledsouth.org\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mission<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is to support and uplift disabled people and disabled organizing to build a strong disability justice movement and a political home for disabled folks across the Southern United States. Our vision is a South where liberation and justice for all disabled people are achievable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re focusing our work on three pillars this year: voting and democracy, poverty and care, and criminalization. We do a lot of different work in a lot of different areas. We do <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newdisabledsouth.org\/reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">original policy research<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and advocacy, and we do a lot of work around changing the narrative about what it means and looks like to be disabled. We uplift the stories and experiences of disabled people in the South to make sure more of our community hears our stories and sees us for the wonderful, complex, unique people that we are, and we do a lot of organizing\u2014which is my department.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> many organizations are under-resourced and overextended and are often so focused on the incredible work they&#8217;re doing that they can&#8217;t connect with other groups or organizations. So we&#8217;re making an effort to break down those silos and bring folks together. Many organizations serve disabled voters but don\u2019t focus on ensuring their work and programs are accessible.\u00a0 lot of what we&#8217;re doing is supporting our partner organizations\u2014 a lot of civic engagement groups \u2014 that are on the ground in our 14 Southern states to make sure they have the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newdisabledsouth.org\/trainingseries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">information and resources disabled people need to get out and vote<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> this year. We\u2019re also working with them to help improve the accessibility of their programs and outreach.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b><i>There are so many barriers to voting for disabled people in this country and these barriers have only been increasing in the last year. So we\u2019re making sure people know what changes have happened in terms of access to voting and how, when, and where to vote.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-21714 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NDS_IG-300x300.png\" alt=\"Disabled voters in the United States \" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NDS_IG-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NDS_IG-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NDS_IG-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NDS_IG-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NDS_IG-500x500.png 500w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NDS_IG.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>We&#8217;re also asking our partners to collect information about the disabled voters they are speaking to and share that information with us because right now there isn&#8217;t much data collected about disabled voters and it\u2019s really important that we gather this data to improve our outreach and advocate for services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, what we do know is that there are more than <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ncbddd\/disabilityandhealth\/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">61<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> million disabled adults in t<\/span>he US<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If disabled people voted at the same rate as non- or pre-disabled people, there would be about 2 million <em>more<\/em> voters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How is New Disabled South celebrating Disability Pride Month?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&#8217;ve got several <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/NewDisabledSouth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social media initiatives<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> asking our community what Disability Pride and Disablity Joy means to them. When abled folks think about disability, it often comes with a lot of pity or a focus on the medical aspects of our disabilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>So often we don&#8217;t get to just exist as we are. Our disabilities are a big part of our lives and oftentimes our lives are shaped by those disabilities, but we are full and complex people outside of and in addition to those disabilities.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This month (and year-round) we\u2019re celebrating the joy and community we share. The disability community is so incredible and supportive of each other in ways that it&#8217;s sort of hard to describe. We create these cultures and communities of care, even with people we\u2019ve never met. This is so fundamental to the disability community \u2014 so we&#8217;re really lifting that up and asking people to share what brings them joy and community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the anniversary of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ada.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Americans with Disabilities Act<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ADA) on July 26 \u2014 which was the original idea behind Disability Pride Month \u2014 it&#8217;s also important to highlight that while the ADA is an incredible law and has done a lot of good, it is the floor, not the ceiling. We can be incredibly happy that we have the ADA and also emphasize that this is just a fraction of what\u2019s needed and just the beginning of the conversation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What are some of the key issues driving voters in your community to the polls this year?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to acknowledge that disabled people are the largest minority in this country and the only minority group that people can join at any time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b><i>Many disabled people exist, live, and navigate life at the crossroads of multiple marginalized identities. We don&#8217;t leave our different identities, existences, or experiences behind because we are disabled.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21706\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21706\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-21706 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/lila-casual-headshot-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Q&amp;A With New Disabled South\u2019s Lila Zucker: \u201cThe ADA is the floor. Not the ceiling.\u201d\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/lila-casual-headshot-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/lila-casual-headshot-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/lila-casual-headshot-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/lila-casual-headshot.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21706\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lila Zucker, New Disabled South, Organizing Director<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, I&#8217;m a queer cisgender woman \u2014 but I&#8217;m also disabled. I don&#8217;t leave my queerness behind when I run into barriers at the doctor,\u00a0 or when I can&#8217;t access my neighborhood because there are unpaved sidewalks or streets. I also don\u2019t leave my disability behind when I want to participate in Pride or other queer community events &#8211; many of which are often incredibly inaccessible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While there are certainly issues that are specific and key for a lot of disabled voters, every single issue is a disability issue because we exist in every community. Disabled folks are not a monolith. Our community is made up of people who claim the identity of being disabled, and then other people in the community might not say they&#8217;re disabled but they do have chronic conditions or things that would be considered disabilities, but they don&#8217;t claim that identity. Whether you were born with your disability, acquired it later in life; whether it\u2019s a visible, invisible, or dynamic disability; whether you have a diagnosis, are struggling to get a diagnosis, don\u2019t want or don\u2019t have a diagnosis;\u00a0 all disabilities are valid and are a part of this community. So that\u2019s a really important and unique quality about our community that doesn&#8217;t get talked about enough.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That being said, healthcare, especially Home Community Based Services (HCBS) waivers are a huge concern for our community. These services allow disabled people with a variety of different disabilities to receive support to live in their community so they don\u2019t have to live in institutions. The waitlists for these waivers can be 10+ years in many states.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The problem is that there is a distinct lack of funding for those waivers and the workers who provide those services are paid at incredibly low rates. It&#8217;s a really hard but <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">really<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> important job and yet many of these workers are receiving wages that are so low, they aren&#8217;t able to take care of their own families. Some of the other issues that are front of mind for our community this year are housing access &amp; affordability, employment (including subminimum wages for disabled workers), voting access, criminalization of disability &amp; the criminal legal system, and environmental justice &amp; disaster preparedness.\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/article\/its-past-time-to-address-reproductive-equity-for-disabled-people\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bodily autonomy (and within that, reproductive rights and justice)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is also a big issue for disabled individuals and it&#8217;s something that people don&#8217;t think of as a disability issue but it absolutely is \u2014 and this is something we need to talk about more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What do you say to voters who feel their vote doesn\u2019t matter?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a lot of people who feel that their vote doesn&#8217;t matter and unfortunately, it can be really easy to feel this way because so often we feel like we are asked to vote all the time and vote for people who don&#8217;t completely reflect our values or what we believe is important in this country. A lot of people feel let down by our political systems, especially disabled folks in the United States. We often feel ignored and disregarded by not just elected officials but also by a lot of campaigns and political parties. Dozens of different disability organizations around the country submitted a letter requesting that the presidential debate at the end of June be made accessible by having an American Sign Language Interpreter, among other demands, but there was no response and that debate was not made accessible for us. So, I think it\u2019s really easy to feel like your vote doesn\u2019t matter and it&#8217;s really important to recognize that is a valid feeling and it makes sense that people are frustrated or don&#8217;t feel that voting is important.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With that said, I think an important way of thinking about voting is that it\u2019s harm reduction. Writer and activist <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/rebeccasolnit.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rebecca Solnit<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> once wrote in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/archive\/the-2000-election-unleashed-disaster-on-the-world-we-cant-let-that-happen-again-in-2016\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">piece published in The Nation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2016:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b><i>\u201cI think of voting as a chess move, not a Valentine.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I think that&#8217;s a really important way of thinking about voting. Voting is important because there are so many things in this country that are only decided and implemented by the people who are in elected office, whether that&#8217;s the condition of our roads and our sidewalks, how much public transportation we have in our city, the quality of our public schools, access to health care, whether or not we have reproductive freedom, or whether or not our communities are getting destroyed by giant corporations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can&#8217;t ignore elections, but I think it&#8217;s also important to think of elections as a starting point. Election Day is very important, but there is so much organizing that has to happen before and after Election Day too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>We need to vote so we have people in power who are thinking about us, considering us, and making decisions that ensure our communities have access to the services and support they need to not just survive, also to thrive.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A single vote can make a<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> huge <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">difference.<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">many elections are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">really <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">close. Even just one vote can determine the winner of an election or what kind of measures are passed. When we don&#8217;t vote, that doesn&#8217;t necessarily send a clear message to those in power about why we\u2019re not voting. If we\u2019re dissatisfied with our elected officials or our political system, we need to fight to change them. Sometimes we fight to tear down systems and build new ones from scratch, but we have to vote so that our elected officials know what we care about and the direction that we would like our communities to go. Then we also need to show up and make sure they&#8217;re hearing from us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Voter ID laws are one example of barriers that disproportionately impact disabled voters. What are some of the other barriers disabled voters face when it comes to voting? Where are these barriers most prominent?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the ADA, all polling places are required to be accessible and have minimum levels of accessibility, but only <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/disabilityjusticeproject.org\/news\/barriers-to-the-ballot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">17% of polling places in the US are truly accessible<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b><i>This means that disabled voters who have done everything they need to do in order to vote \u2014 they struggled to get their ID and arranged for a ride to their ID-issuing office \u2014 show up to their polling place and they cannot get in. They are unable to vote. Or, maybe they&#8217;re able to get into their polling place but they need to use an accessible voting machine. Many times these machines don&#8217;t work or they aren\u2019t available at that polling location. Most often, poll workers haven&#8217;t received adequate training on how to set up accessible voting machines or how to assist disabled voters with using various voting accommodations.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to those in-person architectural barriers, in the last few years, several states have passed <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/voting-rights\/signature-match-laws-disproportionately-impact-voters-already-margins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">signature match laws<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that require ballot signatures to be checked closely.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many disabled voters, this law completely bars them from voting. As a personal example, depending on my physical mobility and how much my various conditions are flaring up and affecting me, my handwriting and signature can change dramatically from hour to hour. Somebody checking ballot signatures may not know that, and by relying on that method, a lot of disabled voters either aren&#8217;t able to vote or have their votes discounted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are also a lot of barriers to voting by mail, which is often a method that is much more accessible to many disabled folks. In a lot of states, especially in the South, and especially in our region, there have been a lot of efforts over the last few years to make voting by mail harder for voters, which disproportionately impacts disabled voters because voting by mail can be much more accessible than voting in-person. In several states, voting in person is the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">only<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> option. Other states have restrictions on who is eligible to vote-by-mail. For example, in many states, you have to reveal medical information and provide proof from your doctor that you\u2019re \u201cdisabled enough\u201d to qualify to receive a vote-by-mail ballot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, ballots are oftentimes inaccessible for people with print, physical, or visual disabilities. In the last couple of years, there have been a lot of restrictions that have been proposed \u2014 and in some cases passed \u2014 to limit the amount and type of support that voters can receive with requesting, completing, and returning their vote-by-mail ballot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b><i>Both <\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/alabama-legislature-absentee-voting-7e2548402d40eab250fbfdd3fde10453\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i>Alabama<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i> and<\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/news-alerts\/louisiana-governor-signs-multiple-anti-voter-bills-and-more-are-pending\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i> Louisiana<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i> recently passed laws that severely limit what type of assistance a person with a disability can receive in requesting, completing, and returning their mail-in ballot. These laws say that only an immediate family member can help you do that, but there are so many people in this country who don&#8217;t have immediate families nearby.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many disabled people live in congregate settings \u2014 various institutions like group homes, state hospitals, or nursing homes \u2014 and the staff there oftentimes help the disabled residents vote-by-mail. Some of these recent restrictions make it so that staff who are paid to assist disabled people, are only able to assist one individual with their absentee ballot. But if you live in a congregate setting, oftentimes the staff are supporting multiple individuals there, and so the ratio of staff to disabled voters is not one-to-one which means many disabled voters won&#8217;t receive that assistance at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is absolutely no reasonable reason for these restrictions aside from limiting voting access. There are many reasons why people need assistance with voting and it shouldn&#8217;t be up to our elected officials to determine whether or not somebody deserves to receive the support they need to participate in our democracy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I could talk about the barriers disabled voters face for a long time, but I&#8217;ll stop there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What is New Disabled South doing to address these barriers? At VoteRiders, we offer voter ID resources tailored to disabled voters and a range of free services to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/voter-id-story-stephen-and-mary-beth-in-arizona\/?swcfpc=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">help people get the ID and\/or underlying documents<\/a> they need to vote. For example, we offer free rides to and from ID-issuing offices for folks who are unable or cannot easily travel to these locations. We also partner with thousands of organizations, including New Disabled South, to bring voter ID information and assistance to folks across the country. <\/b><b>How is New Disabled South working with VoteRiders to make sure disabled voters have the ID they need to cast a ballot?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We adore <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/voteriders.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VoteRiders<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the work that y&#8217;all do. Your work is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">essential. Not enough people know how hard it can be to navigate <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/voterid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">voter ID laws<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and figure out what you need to vote and how to get it. There are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> many barriers to getting an ID that so many folks don&#8217;t think about so I just want to say how much we appreciate VoteRiders\u2019 work and your <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/partner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">partnerships<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with New Disabled South and so many other incredible organizations. These partnerships are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> important and they show us that we have to work together to help folks overcome voting hurdles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re connecting our partners in our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newdisabledsouth.org\/coalition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Southern Disability Justice Coalition<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and various other folks we work with all across the country to VoteRiders. We\u2019re making sure they have access to your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/cards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voter ID Information Cards<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and your<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/voteriders.org\/partner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> free trainings<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> so when they\u2019re out talking to folks in the community, they&#8217;re sharing all of this valuable information and spreading the word about your free resources. This includes going into congregate settings to visit with folks and make sure they have the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/voteriders.org\/staterules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ID they need to vote this year<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and have VoteRiders\u2019 free Helpline number (866-432-8683) in case they have questions or need <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/voteriders.org\/freehelp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free voter ID support<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the other things we&#8217;re doing in partnership with VoteRiders \u2014 in Georgia, North Carolina, and a couple of other states in our region \u2014 is acquiring a broader understanding of the logistical and administrative barriers disabled voters might encounter with getting their IDs that may be different from non-disabled voters. For example, physically getting around and navigating a lot of in-person travel to various ID-issuing offices is something disabled folks deal with every single day.<\/span><b><i>\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b><i>Having to navigate those hurdles on top of navigating your existence as a disabled person can be so difficult. Getting an ID, especially if you don\u2019t have some of the required paperwork \u2014\u00a0like a birth certificate or Social Security card \u2014\u00a0can be so difficult that it just doesn&#8217;t seem worth it to try because we\u2019re just trying to deal with existing. But with groups like VoteRiders, we\u2019re able to help people navigate these burdens and lower these barriers, which makes a huge difference.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s also important to us that we support the VoteRiders staff, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/voteriders.org\/volunteer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">volunteers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and community to make sure you understand these different dynamics and are connected to other organizations and resources that are doing great work with the disabled community in case you ever get questions from disabled voters about things unrelated to voter ID. We have to take different pieces of the puzzle and put them together by supporting each other. <\/span><b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>This interview has been\u00a0edited\u00a0for length and\u00a0clarity.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VoteRiders Digital Communications Coordinator Erin Carden spoke with New Disabled South\u2019s Organizing Director Lila Zucker about Disability Pride, the importance of partnership, and what it means to navigate the voting process as a disabled American. \u2014 JULY 26, 2024 Tell me about yourself and your role at New Disabled South.\u00a0 My name is Lila Zucker, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":21712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[280],"tags":[388,308,389,380,339,328,374],"class_list":["post-21699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-disabled-voters","tag-voter-id","tag-voter-id-help","tag-voter-id-information","tag-voter-id-laws","tag-voteriders","tag-voteriders-partner"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.4 (Yoast SEO v26.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u201cThe ADA is the floor. 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