Poll Worker's Guide to Serving Voters with Disabilities

General Etiquette

Speak directly to a person with a disability rather than through a companion or sign language interpreter.
Offer to shake hands. People with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. (Shaking hands with the left hand is an acceptable greeting.)
Identify yourself and others who may be with you when interacting with a person who is blind or low vision.
Identify the person to whom you are speaking especially when conversing in a group.
Wait until an offer of assistance is accepted, then listen to or ask for instructions of how to help.
Remember that service animals are working, and you should not interact with them as you would with a pet.
Treat adults as adults. Address people who have disabilities by their first names if extending the same familiarity to others.
Listen attentively when you're talking with a person who has difficulty speaking. Be patient and wait for the person to finish; ask questions that require short answers; repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond.
Place yourself at eye level with a person who uses a wheelchair or crutches to facilitate communication.
Tap a person who is deaf on the shoulder or wave your hand to get their attention; speak directly to them without raising your voice; keep hands and cigarettes away from your mouth.
Relax. Feel free to use accepted, common expressions such as "See you later," or "Did you hear about that?"
Ask questions of the individual you are assisting when you're unsure of what to do.

Voter Assistance

Check to see that the accessible path of travel from the parking space to the polling machines is unobstructed by locked doors, furniture etc.
Allow the voter with a disability to choose the accommodations they desire to vote (machine, reader, curbside voting etc.)
Assist persons with visual impairments to sign the log by placing a card or signature guide along the line.
Allow persons with visual impairments to take your arm when assisting them to a new location.
Orient individuals to voting devices by detailed verbal instructions. If they continue to have difficulty, ask if they would like for you to "show" them using their hands. Be sure to release their hands periodically so they can "explore" the lay-out of the device.
If you're not using a Direct Record Electronic (DRE) voting system and the voter asks you to read the ballot, read ALL of the ballot, making sure to respect the voter's privacy and that you communicate all the information on the ballot.
Move obstructions that block the path of travel -- re-evaluate as the polling place becomes more crowded.