Crip the Vote Hashtag Brings Attention to People With Disabilities
One of my earliest memories is going to the neighborhood Burger King with my grandparents in Port Washington, New York. While I was eating my Hershey's chocolate pie, I noticed a woman behind us was reaching for my grandma's wallet. My grandparents had just cashed in their social security check and this woman was going to take all of it. I opened my mouth to say something, but what came out wasn't a complete sentence but rather a smattering of nonsense sounds. They both ignored me, and I felt extremely frustrated when the woman successfully snatched the money.
Little did I know, I was going to experience these feelings of invisibleness, exploitation, and frustration for the rest of my life. Due to my cerebral palsy, my speech and motor skills are impaired. My speech difficulties make it harder for people to understand me, but when I say that my voice isn't being heard, I'm referring to something larger.
Around 56 million Americans have either a physical or developmental disability, and they make up the largest minority group in the country. Throughout the presidential race, candidates have worked to appeal to minority voters such as people of color and women, but they are paying little to no attention to the largest minority group, the disabled community.
People with disabilities, as with other minority groups, need strong advocates in government because of the hardships we face. Beyond the physical limitations our world puts on us — public steps and staircases, public signs without braille, campaign speeches without ASL translations — the disabled community is disproportionately prone to other issues. For example, we are about to be sexually abused and to , and twice as likely to than our non-disabled counterparts. Although the grants us the right to live where we please, 38 states still have special institutions for those with disabilities. People with disabilities, especially those with mental or intellectual disabilities, are involuntarily locked away in "asylums" and are often subjected to abuse and to segregation from the rest of society. In addition, the disabled community is the only group in which segregated education is allowed. Still, the government, in large part, continues not to notice or push for change.
This is where campaign comes in. This nonpartisan effort aims to push political candidates to address issues affecting the disabled community, without seeking to influence the outcome of elections. It also enforces the need for all voting stations to be completely accessible for everyone. The campaign recognizes that a disability is not the only identity a person with a disability has, so it aims to open up multiple dialogues about the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality within the community, and bring them to the forefront. In doing so, #CriptheVote moves away from the precedent set by other disability movements, which focus on white, heterosexual men with disabilities. The campaign encourages people with disabilities to amplify their often ignored voices by using #CriptheVote in Twitter and Facebook posts.
We have the absolute right to demand to be heard, and should not be treated as second-class citizens. Rather than society looking down at us, it should start forming allies and help us fight to be recognized and heard. A disability is something you, or loved ones, can acquire anytime in a lifetime. So, the #CriptheVote campaign is not for only people with disabilities, but rather for all Americans.
Join the movement. Be sure to educate yourself on the pressing disability issues by visiting pages such as and , and use #CriptheVote on your social media channels when posting about disability-related issues. Make sure you are , and take note of how accessible the voting polls are when you go to vote. Election Day on November 8 is only the beginning. As Americans, we should stand up for the voices that are often gone unheard, and make sure everyone has access to their rights and freedom that they deserve.
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