31 for 21: Voting

*I've joined a blogging challenge for the month of October: Blog every day in October in honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (Down syndrome is medically defined as Trisomy 21, and there are 31 days in October, hence the name 31 for 21). My posts will not necessarily be about Down syndrome, but I am writing as a person who 1) loves many people w/Down syndrome and other disabilities and 2) desires for others to be able to see what I see: remarkably unique people with much to offer to the world* 

Today I had a client ask, "how can I vote?"  Wow, good question, was what I wanted to say.  Thankfully, she does have a state-issued id card so I could use that number and her name and birthdate to find out if she was a registered voter.  She is!  Which...puts the pressure on the rest of us.

Just another example of how so many things, for people with disabilities, are just so much more complicated to accomplish.  What you and I can do on our way to work, this person needs to have much assistance to complete.  We need to decide who can take her and how, we need to be sure that whoever takes her is able to assist her without influencing her vote.  She'll need that person's help to push her wheelchair from point A to point B and to just sort of navigate the process.

And that person might be me, the jury's still out.  But even if it isn't me, I feel sort of a burden to at least be sure she's informed.  One of our office folks brought copies of some voter guide type stuff to give to her today, which is a great start.  Since I have her in the room with me for 8 hours a day 5 days a week leading up to the election, I feel like we should spend some of that time talking about propositions and legislative candidates and of course our choices for president.  Gets a little touchy because based on her party affiliation, I'm fairly certain we would not vote similarly.  So I'll need to be careful what I say and how.   I think she's the only registered voter out of my clients, but why not make it an educational thing for the whole room? 

I have much research to do!  I was already feeling behind on researching ballot items for myself, now I have another person to consider.  But it will all be worth it if I get to see her with an "I voted today" sticker and know that somehow we made this happen.