Voting as an Occupation: Understanding OT’s Role with

Accessibility to Political Activities of Daily Living (pADLs)

Cassaundra Bell, MSW; Amanda Fuller, OTS; Jenna Kruis, OTS; Jennifer Summers, OTD, OTR/L; Victoria Pruess, OTS

Introduction

Objectives ● You will understand of the current gaps that exist between voters

with disabilities and those without.

● You will be introduced to voting as an occupation.

● You will experience potential barriers and facilitators within the

occupation of voting that people with disabilities experience.

● You will gain an understanding of how occupational theories can

be applied to this phenomena.

● You will explore the ways occupational therapy can increase

political engagement among this population.

Statistics ● 30.1% of voters with disabilities reported

experiencing difficulty in voting at a polling place compared to 8.4% of voters without disabilities in the 2012 election

● Estimated that there would be 3 million more voters each year if people with disabilities voted at same rate as the able-bodied population

● Studies show that people with disabilities want to be part of democratic process, but opt to stay home due to inaccessibility to voting booths

Lehman, 2013; Schur, 2013; Schur, 2013

Political ADLs

-

Lived Experience

http://woodtv.com/2016/11/08/visually-impaired-voters-also-have-machine-issues

-Cassaundra’s Story

Simulation

We will split you into small groups

Each group simulates engaging with each part of the voting

process through the lens of a different disability (visual

impairment, intellectual disability, physical disability)

Prepare to discuss!

Simulation

1. Registration process

2. Enter the polling place

3. Fill out information form and validate ID

4. Obtain ballot and go to voting booth or accessible voting

machine

5. Fill out ballot

6. Insert into tabulator

Simulation Discussion

Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO)

Literature Review: Personal Barriers● Disempowerment

○ Psychological factors ○ Social Isolation ○ Generational differences

● Physical Disability ○ Mobility disability ○ Work preventing disabilities

● Intellectual Disability (ID) ○ Ability ○ Interest

Shur, Shields, Kruse, & Schriner, 2002 ;Matsubayashi & Ueda, 2014; Argan & Hughes, 2013

Literature Review: Personal Facilitators ● Empowerment

● Physical Disability

● Intellectual Disability

Schur & Kruse, 2000; Schur, Shields, Kruse, & Schriner, 2002; Schur, Adya, & Kruse, 2013; Agran, MacLean, & Kitchen, 2016

Literature Review: Environmental Barriers● Physical Disability

○ Transportation○ Polling Places○ Absentee Voting

● Intellectual Disability)

○ Limited Education ○ Lack of Support

Schur, 2013; Shur, Shields, Kruse, & Schriner, 2002; Agran, MacLean, & Andren, 2015; Agran & Hughes, 2013

Literature Review: Environmental Facilitators ● Policies

● Accessible Polling Places

● Trained Election Officials

● Support

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002; Ward, Baker, & Moon, 2009; Matsubayashi & Ueda, 2014; Schur, 2013; Argan, Hughes, & Kirchen, 2016

Literature Review: Occupation● Disparity of participation

● Barriers and facilitators within both the

person and environment have contributed to the disparity in the occupation

Schur, 2013; Matsubayashi & Ueda, 2014

Occupational Justice Theory

Nilsson & Townsend, 2010; Stadnyk et al., 2010

StudentResearch

Preliminary Themes “I want people to see me out there, doing you know, my voting, and want other

people to do that too because I want other people to see even though we’re disabled

we go out there and vote too, just like anybody else.”

“I used to vote in every primary, every small election. Now, I’ll wait until 2020.”

“I used my power chair to go to the... voting booth because it’s too fat to walk there

and too short to bus really… I think that the assumption of being in my chair that I’m

automatically gonna need special... access to the machinery... I didn’t need that.”

Next Steps

Call for Action

Brainstorm with the person next to you and write down

three things that you will do to incorporate these concepts

into your practice and life

QUESTIONS?

ReferencesAgran, M., & Hughes, C. (2013). “You can't vote-you're mentally incompetent”: Denying democracy to people with severe disabilities. Research & Practice For Persons With Severe Disabilities, 38(1), 58-62.

Agran, M., MacLean Jr., W. E., Kitchen, K. A. (2016). “My voice counts, too”: Voting participation among individuals with intellectual disability. Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, 54(4), 285–294.

Agran, M., MacLean, W., & Andren, K. A. K. (2015). "I never thought about it": Teaching people with intellectual disability to vote. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 50(4), 388-396. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/1736799924?accountid=39473

Law, M. C. & MacDermid, J.C. (Eds.). (2014). Evidence-based rehabilitation: A guide to practice, (3rd ed.). Thorofare, NJ: Slack.

Lehman, S. (2013, November 8). New reports on disability and voter turnout. Nonprofit VOTE.

Matsubayashi, T., & Ueda, M. (2014). Disability and voting. Disability and Health Journal, 7, 285-291.

References (cont’d)Nilsson, I., & Townsend, E. (2010). Occupational justice: Bridging theory and practice. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 17, 57-63.

Schur, L. Presidential Commission on Election Administration. (2013). Reducing obstacles to voting for people with disabilities.

Schur, L. A., & Kruse, D. L. (2000). What determines voter turnout?: Lessons from citizens with disabilities. Social Science Quarterly, 81(2), 571+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=lom_gvalleysu&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA89882731&sid=summon&asid=cc087f11bd5993b4bf18b6cb46ecfd3d

Schur, L., Shields, T., Kruse, D., & Schriner, K. (2002). Enabling democracy: Disability and voter turnout. Political Research Quarterly, 55(1), 167-190.

Schur, L., & Adya, M. (2013). Sidelined or mainstreamed? Political participation and attitudes of people with disabilities in the united states. Social Science Quarterly, 94(3), 811-839. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2012.00885.x

References (cont’d)Stadnyk, R., Townsend, EA., & Wilcock, A. (2010). Occupational justice. In CH. Christiansen & EA. Townsend (Eds.), Introduction to Occupation: The Art and Science of Living, 2nd edition (pp. 329-358). Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. (n.d.). Help America vote act: Fiscal years 2009 and 2010 report to Congress. Retrieved from http://www.acl.gov/NewsRoom/Publications/docs/HAVA_Report_to_Congress_FY_09_10.pdf

Ward, A., Baker, P. M. A., & Moon, N. W. (2009). Ensuring the enfranchisement of people with disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 20(2), 79-92.doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1044207308325996