FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Tommy Calvert, Jr.
(210) 481-0198
[email protected]
Scharf-Zeldes Campaign First Deaf Accessible Campaign In US
WWW.VOTEFORBARBIE.COM Teams Up with Deaf Link, Hard of Hearing To Register to Vote
(SAN ANTONIO, TX) The Barbara Scharf-Zeldes for Probate Court #2 Campaign is holding a press conference with Deaf Link and members of the hearing-impaired community on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. in the conference room at 4242 Medical Dr. (Building 2) to announce that www.voteforbarbie.com will be the first website of a political candidate in the nation to be deaf and hard of hearing accessible.
Members from the deaf community, who have felt disenfranchised from the political process, will also be registering to vote as part of the announcement. By registering, they hope to send a message that they will support candidates who believe in equal access to the political process for all people. In San Antonio, an estimated 116,000 people are deaf or hard of hearing.
Most people mistakenly believe that if one communicates information in writing to a person who is deaf, they will understand what is being written. Statistics indicate that sign language is the primary vehicle for communication for the deaf and that most people who are deaf only read on a second or third grade level. This misinformation has been a major obstacle to participation in the electoral process for the deaf and hard of hearing.
“We have had so many deaf and people who are hard of hearing say ‘thank you’ for breaking this barrier to making an informed decision about voting. Many are now eager to head to the polls and cast their first vote,” exclaimed Kay Chiodo, president and CEO of Deaf Link, Inc., a corporation that specializes in utilizing cutting edge technology to clearly communicate to the deaf and hard of hearing.
Chiodo continued, “If you have a child who is deaf, what Barbie Scharf-Zeldes has done is give hope to those families that their children will grow up in a world where political leaders will finally take substantive steps to reach out and understand the issues that the hard of hearing and deaf face. And from the interest we’ve received from around the country, I believe that will prove to be an important voting block more and more as time goes on and other leaders follow Barbie’s lead.”
Barbie Scharf-Zeldes views the move as long overdue and also believes making her website deaf accessible is another part of her vigorous campaign to engage citizens in Bexar County about how important the Probate Court can be to their lives, particularly those who need assistance making decisions about issues that come before the court such as wills, guardianships of children and adults, mental health and eminent domain issues.
“People are hungry for elected officials that truly put the community’s interests above their own and work for our families—all families,” said Scharf-Zeldes who is up for election in November. Scharf-Zeldes concluded, “I am deeply honored to help give birth to a new movement that helps every American vote and inspires confidence that the political system can work for everyone.”
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