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Residents with disabilities urge peers to vote in new video

HARTFORD–A new video campaign released this week is trying to get the word out to vote to a very specific group of residents. The video, produced by the s...
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HARTFORD--A new video campaign released this week is trying to get the word out to vote to a very specific group of residents.

The video, produced by the state's Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, released a video featuring 10 people with various disabilities, all saying they intend to vote on November 8 and that others should too.

"I have a disability and I vote," the individuals in the video say, adding, "You have a voice, use it!"

One of the women in the video, Michelle Johnson, spoke to FOX 61 about the Public Service Announcement, and why she participated.

The 45-year-old Manchester resident lives in Manchester and has cerebral palsy. She can't speak, but says it's important that her voice is heard this election.

"I am going to see the first female president." Speaking about Hillary Clinton, she went on to say, "She wants woman and all children treated fairly. It seems like every time Trump speaks, he always insults me. I am an African American woman with a disability who is a daughter of an immigrant mother and an American father."

Regardless of who you're voting for, Johnson says that "complaining is not enough. You need to stand up and be counted."

Johnson just finished serving a six-year term as a board member of Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities.

"The law requires that every registered voter have an opportunity to vote independently and in privacy at a polling place, regardless of disability," said Gretchen Knauff, of the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. "This video reminds individuals with disabilities all across our state that their voting rights are no different than other citizens, and we urge them to exercise their civic responsibility, and vote."

Poll workers will be provided guides on how to assist voters with disabilities.

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