Are you interested in joining an ADAPT chapter in New Jersey? ADAPT is a national grass-roots community that organizes disability rights activists to engage in nonviolent direct action, including civil disobedience, to assure the civil and human rights of people with disabilities to live in freedom.
Insights into the Experience of U.S. Voters with Disabilities: National Poll
The following is a press release from Southpaw Insights and Smartmatic.
NEW NATIONAL POLL: Voters with Disabilities Face Multiple Voting Challenges
Improvements in Privacy, Independence and Election Technology Are Top Priorities
BOCA RATON, FL – More than half of voters with disabilities have experienced challenges casting their votes in person, according to a new national poll prepared for Smartmatic by Southpaw Insights. Of those experiencing challenges, voting machines were cited as problematic by 28 percent, and of those, 45 percent say that problems with voting machines have kept them home on Election Day.
“We found that voters with disabilities place tremendous value on being able to vote independently, privately and in the same way as everyone else,” said Jessica Broome, Ph.D., Southpaw Insights founder and CEO. “Improvements in the accessibility and usability of voting machines would provide a real opportunity to make the election experience better for voters with physical and cognitive disabilities.”
Voters with disabilities make up a significant voting block. Roughly one in six eligible voters in America has a disability. According to recent research from Rutgers University, turnout for voters with disabilities in the 2018 mid-terms was approximately 14.3 million people, surpassing the number of Hispanic/Latino voters (11.7 million) and nearing African-American turnout (15.2 million).
New Job Opportunity at ACI: Pre-Employment Instructor
Job Title: Pre-Employment Instructor
Job Type: Full time
About ACI: The Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) is a Center for Independent Living and a DDD/DVRS approved provider in Edison, NJ. ACI provides services for individuals with disabilities in Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties. ACI supports the philosophy of independent living for all persons with disabilities.
We are currently seeking an instructor who is enthusiastic about assisting people, including students with disabilities, in being independent and reaching their employment and independent living goals.
Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), this position will provide extensive pre-employment transition services for high school students with disabilities.
Resources and Advice for Autistic Individuals and Other Disabled Job Seekers
Written by Jenny Wise from Special Home Educator
Disabled individuals have a wealth of knowledge, experience, ideas and skills to impart to employers, though sometimes it can be difficult for those with disabilities to connect with the right employer or take advantage of optimal opportunities when they arise. Fortunately, there are agencies, both government and community-based, that can help position autistic and other disabled workers for fulfilling jobs that offer opportunities for success and career advancement.
For any job hunter, opening avenues to success is often a matter of talking to the right person at the right time. The more professional connections you can make in that regard, the better your chances of securing the right opportunity.
Somerset Patriots Baseball Game 2019
On the evening of July 16th, ACI went to the ballpark to watch the Somerset Patriots come from behind in the 6th inning to beat the York Revolution 12 to 7! Watching the Patriots win wasn’t the only thing that made the night fun…during the 3rd inning, ballpark staff handed out homemade togas and the crowd participated in an attempt to make the largest toga party. It was fun to watch Sparkee and Slider lead the crowd in an Animal House “toga!” chant. Thank you to the Patriots staff and the Group Sales department for a wonderful evening!
National Disability Voter Registration Week 2019
ACI and REV UP NJ hosted its 4th annual National Disability Voter Registration Week event at the NJ State House Annex in Trenton. Everyone braved the hot weather to hear advocates, civil rights activists, and representatives from disability organizations talk about the importance of voting and how the disability vote has grown in influence. Featured speakers included Dr. Doug Kruse, of the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, who talked about the growing influence of the disability vote, and Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling of Monmonth County, who encouraged every to get involved to make a difference.
NJ Disability Pride Parade is now...NJ Disability Pride in the Park!
COME AS YOU ARE: New Jersey Disability Pride in the Park (formerly NJ Disability Pride Parade) has a new look and a new venue! Come and celebrate with us at this first-time festival that will take place at the Alvin P. Williams Park in Sewaren Peninsula, Woodbridge Township (Middlesex County), New Jersey on Friday, May 29th from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
The 2020 NJDPP, a grassroots effort hosted by the Alliance Center for Independence (ACI), will also commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) in a beautiful new and expanded venue, a 36-acre accessible park in the heart of Middlesex County that features an amphitheater, picnic areas, paved paths, gardens and playgrounds along the waterfront of the Arthur Kill, with plenty of parking for festival attendees!
ACI has proudly hosted and organized the New Jersey Disability Pride Parade and Celebration since 2011. NJDPP is the one event in New Jersey where the disability community comes together for a day to celebrate pride in each other and to appreciate our differences and similarities!
For more information, or if you would like to participate as a sponsor or entertainer, please visit adacil.org/njdpp
