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Making Colorado Ballot Issues Accessible

Categories: Activities, Assistive Technology, Public Policy/Advocacy

With November's election activities around the corner, voters with print disabilities in Colorado are poised to be well informed on a host of statewide issues, thanks to a unique non-partisan collaboration between Learning Ally and the League of Women Voters. Our press release, just issued state-wide in Colorado, tells the story: League of Woment VotersLeague of Women Voters Teams with Nonprofit Learning Ally to Make Colorado Guide to Ballot Issues Accessible to All Accessible Material at Election Time Provides Equality for the Voting Booth DENVER, CO – The local League of Women Voters has contracted national nonprofit Learning Ally to record and render the Colorado Guide to Ballot Issues into accessible format for individuals with print disabilities. An audio version of the guide has been prepared in time for this election season, so that individuals with visual and reading-based disabilities can make informed decisions on important issues facing voters today, including three constitutional amendment proposals. Female Voter Entering BoothJulie Leonard, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Colorado Education Fund commented: “The goal of the League of Women Voters is to provide nonpartisan election information to all Colorado voters no matter what their circumstances might be. Each election year, our volunteers spend about 700 hours researching state ballot issues and writing clear descriptions of them, along with the pro and con arguments. Then we work to make the information available to all Colorado voters. Learning Ally helped by providing a quality product for those who need visual assistance.” Learning Ally has 19 volunteer recording studios across the U.S. At the organization’s facility in Denver, Production Director Bob Janowski said, “It is our studio's privilege to play a role in the quintessential democratic experience of voting. This brochure is produced for each general election and lists, in a non-partisan fashion, the pros and cons of referenda and initiatives brought before voters. Hats off to the League for their efforts and inclusion of voters with disabilities.”