TWo Civil Rights Violations in Massachusetts

Blantant civil rights violations are happening for individuals with disabilities.

Two civil rights have occurred in the Central Massachusetts area concerning two individuals with disabilities during the special senate election and to one of the individuals concerning riding public transportation. Here are their stories:

1)DM is an individual who is legally blind and is caucasian. DM said that for the last few years, she has been denied access to use the automark voting booth that has been set up for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. This machine enables individuals to wear a headset to mark their votes and then have their ballots printed afterwards to put into voting box.

This year, DM had enough. She asked an observer (who is a city official for Human Rights) to observe the hassles she endures everytime she wants to use the automark machine. DM did ask to use the automark machine and the poll worker gave her an attitude by wanting to use it. DM did cast her vote using the automark machine. Her ballot printed and she went to put into the voting box to record her votes. Unfortunately, the voting box rejected her ballot due to the ink used in the automark machine. A police officer tried to fix this ink problem but to no avail the voting box still rejected her ballot. The observer took DM's ballot and use a blank ink pen to darken the lines connecting her choices. The observe put the ballot in the voting box that was finally accepted. DM felt her voting rights were violated due to not having her voting choices be made in private. Also, both DM and the observer found out how the poll workers were aware of the ink problems associated with the automark machines on voting day and did nothing to correct this problem. This same problem happened to another person with a physical disability at another voting booth in a different area of Worcester. At this voting area, the poll workers knew of the ink problems associated with one handicap accessible voting booth that was not corrected as well.

Both individuals are filing civil right complaints with the Disability Law Center and the Department of Justice for voting rights violations.

2) DM is experiencing ongoing civil rights violations when she rides the public buses. According to the federal law for buses, the drivers have to announce the stops so individuals who are blind or visually impaired can hear the stops and get off at their destinations or hear the bus numbers anounced before they board the right bus. DM told an official at the bus company of this problem in December 2009. The next day, this official send out a memo to all drivers mandating that they announce call outs at major stops along bus routes. Unfortunately, the drivers are still not announcing the stops when DM is riding the buses in February 2010. DM will be filing a complaint with the Department of Justice.

In summary, advocacy groups and providers will be signing onto these complaints as soon as they file. A press conference will be forthcoming as well.

I will keep you informed of the outcome.