English Translation

My name is Debbie Peterson and I’m from Seattle, Washington. Doug asked me about voting, and I do want to say that it is very important. Deaf people in American have to realize that they are lucky. In some other countries, it is illegal for Deaf people to vote. As Americans, we have the right to vote, and I really encourage you to exercise that right.

Your vote is important in order to continue the fight for Deaf rights. Deaf people used not be allowed to drive. After years of struggle, that was changed. Similarly, there used to be no captioning or TTYs. But now the ADA has been passed which ensures those things. Without voting and without fighting for those rights, we wouldn’t have any of that. So, I really encourage you to go out and vote.