Disability advocate to candidates: “Be accessible, don’t ignore us”

As the saying goes, “There’s power in numbers.” And as the island prepares to elect new leadership, is a large part of our community being overlooked? KUAM News sat down with disability advocates for the deaf and hard of hearing community Kevin Lizama Reyes and Kirsten Rosario to learn more. 

As the island’s election season nears, campaigns, rallies, and outreach efforts help inform your decision. But what happens when voter information and events don’t have every voter in mind? 

Reyes said, “If they are campaigning outside in the middle of the road or on the street, it’s not accessible for the disabled community to participate. When they are doing social media outreach, the majority of their films or videos are not accessible due to missing closed captions or subtitles. Some of their campaign speeches or events, they have no interpreters.”

It’s those barriers that Reyes admits kept him from voting in the last election.  “Only because I’m not sure of the candidate's position on the disability community—the message wasn’t received, so I’m not sure who to vote for," he said.

Reyes further articulating the need for candidates to treat disability issues as core policy priorities, as true accountability fosters greater voter turnout. Reyes wrote in an open letter titled, The Disability Community As A Voting Bloc In Guam, “This voting bloc is watching. Many voters within the disability community and their families are not voting out of loyalty to party or personality, but out of necessity.”

“The disabled community is quite large on Guam, and if the candidates can’t reach out to them in a way that they can get the information they need on who to vote for, then there’s no way that they can get their votes," he added. “Be accessible. Reach out to us. Don’t ignore us. We are important, too.”

Reyes adding that access to education, healthcare services, employment, meaningful representation, and enforcement of existing laws are issues that affect not only individuals with disabilities, but entire households and communities.  Reminding those seeking a vote: “we are watching how current senators have responded — and how they have failed to respond. We are watching current candidates for governor and lieutenant governor just as closely. This time, words will not be enough.”