Presented by New Disabled South and New Disabled South Rising, “Disabled Voters Rising: Political Education and Training Series” covers numerous topics over Zoom between June and October. The goal of this series is to provide necessary skills and knowledge in disability policy and accessibility to voters, policymakers and elected officials, election campaigns, and voter contact organizers and organizations.
Each session will be focused on a topic and are offered as webinars, training sessions, or panels. Each topic will be geared towards a specific audience, though registration is open to all.
We are committed to the accessibility of these sessions, and request that if you need any accommodations in order to participate fully, please note them when registering.
You can register for each session separately through the linked registration forms below. Space is limited, so sign up soon!
Disabled Voters Rising: Political Education and Training Series
Sessions:
Webinars:
2024 Landscape: Hostile Policy and Disability-Centered Solutions
[Session Completed, Registration Closed]
(1 hour) This webinar will provide an overview of the 2024 policy landscape, including barriers and their impacts on disabled people. With a focus on disability-centered solutions, attendees will learn about how hostile policy can be changed through disability justice.
General topics discussed include:
Home and Community Based Services and the Care Crisis
Surveillance and Institutionalization
Lack of Enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Laws restricting voting access
Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST [Session Completed, Registration Closed]
Format: Zoom webinar
Intended Audience: Policymakers and elected officials, election campaigns, and voter contact organizers and organizations
The 2024 State of Voting: Disability and Democracy
(1 hour) Centering the impact on disabled voters, this webinar will dive into the current state of voting, including voter suppression, continued attacks on voting, and the growing number of laws restricting voting access.
Date: Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST, Registration Link
Format: Zoom webinar
Intended Audience: Election campaigns, voters, and voter contact organizers and organizations
Disabled in the South: How the Care Crisis Harms Community
(1 hour) Centered around the disability justice principle of collective access, this webinar will explore how the care crisis in the South harms community for both disabled and nondisabled people alike.
General topics discussed include:
Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waivers
HCBS waiver waitlists in the South
The need for sustainable care worker wages
Date: July 22, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST, Registration Link
Format: Zoom webinar
Intended Audience: Policymakers and elected officials, election campaigns, voters, and voter contact organizers and organizations
Trainings:
Accessible Events 101: In-person and Virtual Strategies
(90 minutes) Accessibility is a critical facet to planning any event. This interactive training will provide strategies and best practices for ensuring your in-person and virtual events are inclusive to disabled staff, volunteers, and attendees.
General topics discussed:
Accessible communication
Registration and accommodations
In-person event accessibility
Virtual event accessibility
Dates/times (2 offered):
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 10:00am EST until 11:30am EST, Registration Link
TBD - Weekday Afternoon (EST)
Possible weekend session (If interested, please email organizing@newdisabledsouth.org)
Format: Zoom workshop
Intended Audience: General public, election campaigns, voters, and voter contact organizers and organizations
Accessible Voter Outreach and Engagement
(90 minutes) This training will cover the basics of accessible communication, select political issues impacting disabled people, and disability representation in political offices and campaigns. With opportunity to engage, this training will equip you with the knowledge to make your programs more accessible for disabled staff, volunteers, and community members.
Date/time: Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 11:00am - 12:30pm EST, Registration Link
Format: Zoom workshop
Intended Audience: General public, election campaigns, voter contact organizers and organizations
Panels:
Criminalization of Disability: The Reality of Re-entry and Voter Disenfranchisement in the South
(1 hour) This panel will include discussion on the programs (or lack thereof) for formerly incarcerated disabled folks and the campaigns that work to return the right to vote to those who were formerly incarcerated.
Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2024 at 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST, Registration Link
Format: Zoom panel
Intended Audience: General public
A Southern Labor Movement Where No Body or Mind is Left Behind
(1 hour) This panel will explore the powerful wave of worker mobilizations in the South and how the labor movement must include disabled workers. Panelists to be announced at a later date.
Date: October 1, 2024 at 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST, Registration Link
Format: Zoom panel
Intended Audience: Disabled workers, care workers, labor organizers, general public