Nonvisual Election Technology
Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
Casting a secret ballot is a right most Americans take for granted. Now, for the first time ever, speech output technology voting machines make it possible for blind and visually impaired people to cast a secret ballot privately and independently.
The National Center for Nonvisual Election Technology, based at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, houses accessible voting machines for the blind that are available for demonstration and evaluation at no cost to officials or the public.
With support from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities' (ADD) Help America Vote Act grant program, and after thorough evaluation of nonvisual access technology solutions for electronic voting, the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute has developed this comprehensive training curriculum. It was created to focus on nonvisual access and usability of the full spectrum of election technology as understood by blind people and to provide information on how to aid blind and visually impaired voters at the polls without depriving them of the right to a secret vote.