Return-Path: <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id eA6Dge921215; Mon, 6 Nov 2000 08:42:40 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2000 08:42:40 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <sa065f92.012@smtp.ala.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Audrey Gorman" <agorman@ala.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-LD:3224] "Seeing Eye Democracy" could help people with LD too X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise 5.5.2 Status: O Content-Length: 6136 Lines: 124 And voting is a once-in-a-while thing, though vitally important. Libraries are every day and can help change lives too. Apologies to those who have seen this on AXS-LIB or elsewhere. ................................................ >Date: Sun, 05 Nov 2000 07:39:48 -0600 (CST) >From: Kelly Pierce <kelly@ripco.com> >Subject: Seeing Eye Democracy >Sender: owner-dpolicy@franklin.tripil.com >To: Disability Policy List <dpolicy@franklin.tripil.com> >X_Mailing_List_Server: Majordomo 1.94.1 >X_Mailing_List_Provider: TRIPIL (http://www.tripil.com) >Original-recipient: rfc822;nrcgsh@ritvax.isc.rit.edu > >The New York Times > >November 2, 2000 > >Seeing-Eye Democracy > >By MINDY SINK > > DURING this election season, some blind and visually impaired > voters will be able to cast their ballots in private for the first > time using an electronic voting system that has been adapted for > use by the disabled. > > Geneva Teagarden of Fort Worth cast her first secret ballot in > early voting last month with the system, which uses a modified > portable computer called the eSlate. Previously, Mrs. Teagarden, > who is legally blind, had had the ballot read to her as she made > her choices. > > "It sounds silly, but it made the hair on the back of my neck stand > up," she said, describing her first private vote. "I didn't realize > what a privilege it is to have that right to privacy." > > The eSlate system is one of several aids for the disabled that are > being tested this year in some states. The eSlate, developed by > Hart InterCivic of Austin, Tex., is being used in Tarrant County, > where Mrs. Teagarden lives. It is also being tried in another > county, which includes parts of Houston, and in two counties in > Colorado. The machines have been in use since early voting began in > these jurisdictions. (Early voting is available to all registered > voters in 13 states. The option, which dates to 1988, is intended > to increase turnout.) > > An eSlate is a tablet-size computer with a large display screen and > large buttons for scrolling through ballot choices and recording > votes, which are stored in memory for later downloading. > > The eSlate can be used by anyone, but because it can sit on a > tabletop or be held in the hands, it is especially useful for > people in wheelchairs. For the blind or visually impaired, an > add-on speech synthesizer is used. The machines cost about $2,500 > each, and the synthesizer is another $1,000. > > In California, voters in some jurisdictions are using an electronic > system developed by another Texas company, Global Election Systems, > that has been adapted for use by the blind. And blind voters in > Rhode Island and Nevada will have audio services available when > they cast their votes on Election Day. > > Eight counties in California are experimenting with early voting > this year and are also testing electronic voting machines made by > Global Election Systems of McKinney, Tex., in some precincts. The > AccuVote-TS has a touch screen and a 12-key pad, like a push-button > telephone's, that can be adapted for audio use with a headset and > be used by the blind. > > "We found that blind people are familiar with the phone pad, even > more than they are with reading Braille," said Larry Ensminger, > vice president for business development at Global Election Systems. > > Curtis Chong, technology director of the National Federation of the > Blind in Baltimore, said the eSlate is the machine favored by his > organization and many blind people like himself who have tested it > along with other machines. > > "ESlate is one of the first systems that is being marketed as a > viable, real product you can buy today," Mr. Chong said. "Other > machines had weaknesses like touch screens that could not verify if > you had marked the right place on the ballot. With e- Slate you can > hear it click as it rolls through the settings." > > In Baltimore, where Mr. Chong votes, blind voters can use the > services of a human reader or a partial Braille ballot. Mr. Chong > said it is difficult to ignore voice inflections of readers whether > a friend, a spouse or an elections judge while making ballot > decisions. > > The eSlate "cuts across every demographic because of its ease of > use," said Neil McClure, vice president of the election solutions > group at Hart InterCivic in Colorado. > > "It's like a laptop," Mr. McClure said, "but you don't have to know > how to use a computer. People are saying it's easy and even fun to > use." > > In Texas, legislation was signed last year requiring all ballot > equipment to be accessible by the disabled, and lever machines and > punch card technology can no longer be purchased (most are no > longer manufactured). The use, design and purchase of voting > systems is usually governed by the secretary of state and done on a > county by county basis. > > "This is the next generation of voting equipment technology that is > becoming available as computerized systems become more efficient > and less expensive," said Jerry Meadows, senior vice president of > the election solutions group at Hart InterCivic. > > According to the Disability Statistics Center in San Francisco, > there are more than 30 million disabled Americans of voting age. > The National Federation of the Blind estimates that 1.1 million of > those voters are blind or visually impaired. > > John Novotny, 43, of Breckenridge, Colo., is one of a handful of > disabled voters in Summit County, which is also testing the eSlate > system. He often voted with the assistance of a friend who read the > ballot to him. He recently voted with the eSlate. > > "I got to cast my own ballot," he said, "with the same right as > every person in the United States, as is guaranteed under the > Constitution." >
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