Join the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition on Zoom as we celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and discuss its impact on voting rights! We will hear from our keynote speaker, Charlotte Lanvers, a Trial Attorney from the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division within the US Department of Justice, as well as Kit Kerschensteiner, the Directory of Legal and Advocacy Services of Disability Rights Wisconsin, and a panel of voters. Learn about the protections for voting rights in the ADA and other federal laws, and how to request a disability related accommodation.
Registration is required. Register here for the event via Zoom.
ASL interpreters will be provided and captioning will be available. Other accommodations may be requested when registering.
Agenda
View the accessible event agenda here (PDF).
View the event recording here (Youtube).
- Opening Remarks: Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition
Barbara Beckert, Disability Rights Wisconsin, and Jenny Neugart, Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities - Keynote Speaker: Charlotte Lanvers, Trial Attorney, Disability Rights Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
- Ms. Lanvers has been a trial attorney with the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice since 2014 where she has worked to enforce Titles I, II and III of the ADA. From 2012-2014, Ms. Lanvers worked as an attorney in the Program Legal Group at the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to that, Ms. Lanvers worked as a Skadden Fellow and Staff Attorney at Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund in Berkeley, California. Attorney Lanvers will address the significance of the ADA anniversary, voting rights protections in the ADA and other federal laws, and the requirements in federal law to include equitable access to voting for people with disabilities.
- Wisconsin Perspective: Kit Kerschensteiner, Director of Legal and Advocacy Services, Disability Rights Wisconsin
- Attorney Kerschensteiner will address the aftermath of the Teigen case and what it means for voters with disabilities who need absentee voting protections (the right to assistance with mailing a ballot or returning a ballot), and how to request an accommodation for ballot delivery assistance.
- Voter Panel: Voters impacted by the ballot return assistance issue will share their perspective.
- Stacy Ellingen, Oshkosh
- Trudy Le Beau, Sheboygan
- Felicia Clayborne, Milwaukee
- Moderated Questions
- Call to Action: Coalition Leadership
Materials
- View the full Resource List here to share or print (accessible PDF).
- View the accessible event summary here (PDF).
Voting Rights
- Voting Rights for People with Disabilities & The ADA, US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, March 2021
Note: to request a copy of Ms. Lanvers’ presentation, please email info@disabilityvote.org with the subject “request DOJ PPT” - The Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Federal Laws Protecting the Rights of Voters with Disabilities (PDF), US Department of Justice
- List of Wisconsin Accessibility Provisions (accessible PDF)
Resources for Requesting an Accommodation
- Process for Requesting an Accommodation for Ballot Return Assistance (accessible PDF).
- Sample Accommodation Request (Word document).
- Communication to Wisconsin Clerks from Disability Rights Wisconsin (accessible PDF).
Teigen vs WEC
- DRW Statement: Absentee voting protections for people with disabilities after the Supreme Court of Wisconsin Teigen decision
- Supreme Court of Wisconsin Opinion in Richard Teigen v. Wisconsin Elections (PDF)
- “Our Voices, Our Votes: Disabled Voters Speak Out on Voting Rights and Ballot Return Assistance” (accessible PDF), a publication of Disability Rights Wisconsin
Filing a Complaint
- Report a violation of the ADA through the Civil Rights Division’s website.
- File a complaint or report an accessibility concern to the Wisconsin Election Commission.
DRW Voter Hotline
Voters with voting questions or those who need assistance requesting an accommodation or filing a complaint may contact the Disability Rights Wisconsin Voter Hotline at 844-347-8683 | info@disabilityvote.org.
Note: If your request for an accommodation is denied, we encourage you to contact us.
ADA32 Image Credit: ADA National Network (adata.org) 1-800-949-4232