MIAMI – By now, you’ve seen the lines of voters waiting to cast their ballot early in the November election. But have you stopped to think about the accommodations to help those with disabilities exercise their right to vote?
They are not only in place, but you’ve likely seen them at polling places.
At 41 years old Rafael Fernandez is a visually impaired voter. He said he hasn’t missed an election.
“I wanna make sure that I am a part of the process and not the problem,” Fernandez said.
Born in Puerto Rico, Fernandez has had limited vision since birth. Moving to Miami at 3, he knew the world as he sees it could use some help.
“If you’re not out there being that person that’s willing to make the change or vote for the change, then there’s no point in honestly speaking out,” Fernandez said. “You have to be the change you wanna see in the world.”
Lighthouse for the Blind Miami drove him to the Miami Lakes’ early voting site and thanks to their help, Fernandez cast his ballot with accommodations provided by the Miami-Dade County elections office. It’s something they legally must do.
“Years ago, it was more of, hey you can have someone help you out. No, let’s go ahead and make a change there. Now everything is electronic. This is a fight that we as a community, as a visually impaired and blind community, have fought for.”
That fight has paid off. Twenty minutes after he arrived, his ballot was submitted. He said the process, “just like anyone else no matter what the impairment or what the obstacles are, just doing it is wonderful.”
The elections office has varying accommodations for all voters who legally meet the requirements, including a ballot that can be sent electronically to people who cannot leave their homes.
For more information, you can go to the department’s Special Needs website page.
