Our Voice, Our Vote May 24, 2024

🗳 With the upcoming presidential election, voting has been a very important topic on the minds of many that are a part of the IAHD community. This spring, IAHD has made it its mission to help as many people as possible receive information about voting and help them become registered to vote!

🪪 In the picture above, brothers Matthew and James registered to vote for the first time. After receiving their Voter IDs, they were able to vote in elections held mid-April at the Walter Panas High School. and will be able to do so in the November election. Congratulations to them!

🤝On May 9, IAHD hosted an event called ‘Get Out the Vote!’ at our Tarrytown location. This collaborative effort with groups like Westchester Disabled on the Move, NY Caring Majority, SANYS, and the League of Women Voters focused on the basics of voting in elections and how voting can be made accessible for those who may need accommodations. There was a Q&A session moderated by Maria Samuels, the Executive Director of Westchester Disabled on the Move, Inc., to hear firsthand about this topic from those in the political sphere and those who have insight regarding the reality of voting with an Intellectual/Developmental Disability. Thank you to all our panelists and participants for making your time and knowledge!

(L to R) Erica Martinez, SANYS self-advocate; Maria Samuels, Executive Director of Westchester Disabled on the Move; Matthew Brown, IAHD self-advocate; Omayra Andino, IAHD CEO and mayor of Tuckahoe, NY; Julia Solow, Lead NY Caring Majority Organizer

📝 After the panel, the League of Women Voters helped members of the IAHD community fill out the paperwork to register to vote if they wanted to. We had 10 people register to vote that afternoon! Congratulations to those at IAHD Tarrytown and Bainbridge who registered to vote: Elizabeth, Michael, Danny, Jennifer, Kenny, Destiny, Jose, Kiara, Yvonne, and Eric.

⭐️ Again, congratulations to all who registered to vote, and thank you to everyone involved for making these events a success and for spreading the word about (accessible voting).

📣 Our voices matter! 📣

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