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Maricopa County Elections Department Community Network
Voter Accessibility April 26, 2006
SLIDE 2 Accessibility:
Main Entry: ac·ces·si·ble Pronunciation: ik-'se-s&-b&l, ak-, ek- Function: adjective 1 : providing access 2 a : capable of being reached <accessible by rail>; also : being within reach <fashions at accessible prices> b : easy to speak or deal with <accessible people> 3 : capable of being influenced 4 : capable of being used or seen 5 : capable of being understood or appreciated <the author's most accessible stories> <an accessible film>
SLIDE 3 Accessibility / Availability
Services Information Polling Places
SLIDE 4 Services
All front counters are staffed with
bilingual employees.
All three offices are accessible and
have designated parking.
This spring Maricopa County
Elections will be the first election department in the country to implement instant ASL translation via Deaf Link.
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Servicing the Deaf Community: Servicing the Deaf Community:
Recorder / Election Department Maricopa County, Arizona
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Why is Sign Translation Important? Why is Sign Translation Important?
Access to Information: Print material (including website content) may not be exhaustive of all information the public needs. Literacy: For voters who use American Sign Language as their language of choice, reading English is a second language with all of the inherent communication barriers.
SLIDE 7 Literacy of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Literacy of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Galludet University periodically conducts studies of standardized testing (such as the Stanford Acheivement Test) with students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. For 17-year-olds and 18-year-olds in the deaf and hard
- f hearing student sample, the median Reading
Comprehension subtest score corresponds to about a 4.0 grade level for hearing students. That means that half of the deaf and hard of hearing students at that age scored above the typical hearing student at the beginning of fourth grade, and half scored below1 .
SLIDE 8 County Statistics County Statistics
Estimated Increase in Hard of Hearing/Deaf Population 1996-20302 :
Year 2000 (233,499) Hard of Hearing/Deaf ( 18%) Increase from 1996 Year 2010 (289,190) Hard of Hearing/Deaf ( 46%) Increase from 1996 Year 2020 (354,028) Hard of Hearing/Deaf ( 79%) Increase from 1996 Year 2030 (426,136) Hard of Hearing/Deaf (115%) Increase from 1996
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Concerns with Traditional Translation Concerns with Traditional Translation
Must be scheduled in advance or services may be delayed until an interpreter is present. Availability of interpretive services may be nonexistent in rural communities or remote areas resulting in uncovered regions.
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Deaf Link Service Deaf Link Service
Deaf Link is a San Antonio company providing ASL translation services via video conferencing:
Front counters are equipped with monitors (either a small TV or computer) with a video conferencing camera with internet connectivity. When translation services is needed, a simple click on the Deaf Link icon connects the service and a translator appears on the screen to instantly provide interpretation. Staff simply converses with the translator who, in turn, relays the information to the Deaf customer.
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San Antonio Police Department using the Deaf Link Service: San Antonio Police Department using the Deaf Link Service:
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San Antonio Police Department using the Deaf Link Service: San Antonio Police Department using the Deaf Link Service:
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New Orleans Mayor Nagin in Katrina aftermath with Deaf resident: New Orleans Mayor Nagin in Katrina aftermath with Deaf resident:
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ASL Translation of Website ASL Translation of Website
Video clips of ASL translation of imperative information can be posted on your website to increase the Deaf community’s ability to access services. These same videos can contain voice overlays and serve the Blind community as well.
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Link to posting of sign interpretations
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SLIDE 18 Sources: Sources:
- 1. Holt, Judith A., Traxler, Carol B., and Allen, Thomas E. 1997. Interpreting the Scores: A User's
Guide to the 9th Edition Stanford Achievement Test for Educators of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
- Students. Gallaudet Research Institute Technical Report 97-1. Washington, DC: Gallaudet
University. Gallaudet Research Institute. 1996. Stanford Achievement Test, 9th Edition, Form S, Norms Booklet for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students. (Including Conversions of Raw Score to Scaled Score & Grade Equivalent and Age-based Percentile Ranks for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students.) Washington, DC: Gallaudet University.
- 2. Arizona Department of Economic Security, Population Statistics Unit.
Arizona Yearbook: A Guide to Government in the Grand Canyon State, Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce 1990 Census, 1993-1994. Demographic Aspects of Hearing Impairment: Questions and Answers, 3rd Edition, Tables1,2,3, Center for Assessment and Demographic Studies at Gallaudet University, 1994. National Center for Health Statistics, Data from the National Health Interview Survey, Series 10, Number 188, Tables 1, B, C, 1994.
SLIDE 19 Accessibility / Availability
Services Information Polling Places
SLIDE 20 Information:
Establishment of yearly notice in
alternative format
Modification of voter record to reflect
format of choice
Revision of website with review of
ability of adaptive software to:
Navigate Translate Interact Request additional information
SLIDE 21 2006 Notice Letters
Sent out in Large Print & Braille Brochure in English & Spanish includes
basic voter information as well as new voter requirements
SLIDE 22 Braille format of Publicity Pamphlets,
Ballots, and general voter information is available.
Audio CDs and Cassettes are offered. For county-wide contests website
posting of human voice recordings in English and Spanish will be available.
SLIDE 23 Modification of voter record to reflect format of choice:
(Still in process)
SLIDE 24 Information
Navigation of website:
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Text Only:
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SLIDE 28 Information
Website requests:
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Alternative Format Requests
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Alternative Format Requests
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Early Ballot Request
SLIDE 33 Accessibility / Availability
Services Information Polling Places
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The “Tucson Lesson”:
SLIDE 35 Site Evaluations
Facilities are evaluated for their ability
to accommodate the volume of voters as well as voters requiring special considerations.
Polling places are reviewed in the
following areas:
Parking Entrance & regress of the facility Navigation of interior of building Polling place allocated room
SLIDE 36 Department of Justice Polling Place Checklist
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/votingscrn.pdf
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Evaluation:
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Why is additional parking space necessary?
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Election Day Solutions:
SLIDE 48 Election Day Solutions:
Curbside voting continues
to be an option for voters unable to enter the polling place regardless of the reason.
It is not seen as an
alternative to providing an accessible polling place by the department; but rather, a supplemental service.
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Touch Screen Voting: The Edge
SLIDE 50 The Edge:
Touch Screen Voting Machines will be set
aside for those voters who would otherwise not be able to vote independently.
Has Large Print option. Is able to adapt to sip-n-puff mechanisms. Audio in multiple languages. To be implemented in the September 2006
Primary Election as mandated by the Help America Vote Act.
SLIDE 51 The Edge
Has paper audit trail:
SLIDE 52 Identification
Voters over 65 who did not have
sufficient ID predominantly did not return –82%
All voters receive at least 2 forms of
non-photo ID from the Elections Dept:
Voter ID Card Polling Place Notice Card
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Maricopa County Elections Department’s Assistance Program strives to ensure equal access to the electoral process for all its citizens and to provide the assistance some voters may require based on physical or mental abilities, mobility concerns, or language skill sets.
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In an ongoing commitment to our community, we welcome suggestions and recommendations on how to best serve our voters. It’s not just your vote that is your voice!
