Barbara Lenci

Marion County

Marion

Aurora

Oregon

Clackamas County

Portland (OR) Metropolitan Area

Wilsonville

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Lake Oswego

Washington County

Beaverton

Multnomah County

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Hillsboro

salem

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Lakewood-JBLM

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Puyallup

888-339-VOTE (8683) OR 225 W Olive St #201, Newport, OR 97365

AI DECLARES WAR ON DISABILITY---"First It Came for the Data!"
Commentary: Emma Roshioru: AI’s impending war on disability
Opinion by Jacksonville Journal-Courier
Commentary: We have fallen victim to a narrative that claims artificial intelligence is the key to solving life’s dilemmas. (Westend61/Getty Images)&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg-s-msn-com.akamaized.net%2Ftenant%2Famp%2Fentityid%2FAA2egq3P.img%3Fw%3D768%26h%3D512%26m%3D6&amp;t=1792089487&amp;ymreqid=87a47ff4-4102-e618-1ce0-d301df01d000&amp;sig=NL2Zz4fAt8NqTrvqCFBMJw--~D" alt="Commentary: We have fallen victim to a narrative that claims artificial intelligence is the key to solving life’s dilemmas. (Westend61/Getty Images)">
First, it came for the data.
From planning vacations and tailoring job applications to navigating roadways and tracking Americans’ daily movement and health patterns, AI has become integrated into 99 percent of Americans’ lives, and yet two-thirds don’t even realize it.
With all that information, it needed more room, so it started after the land.
Surpassing apartment buildings and retail space in the real estate market, data centers account for 27% of the nation’s development this year, with land purchases up 79% from last year.
Even with all that land, no one seems to be asking whose life is on the other end.
With only 11% of Americans in support of constructing data centers, 42% live near one that is in operation or planned to be built, facing the brunt of the health and environmental risks these centers create. From noise, light and air pollution to water waste and externalized utility costs, data centers will be disabling the U.S. population at a rate greater than the nation is supporting its disabled citizens. With a projected increase of 600,000 cases of asthma symptoms and 1,300 premature deaths by 2028, the continued push for data center development launched by the AI frontier is expected to result in serious health implications, including increases in cancers and neurological disorders, accompanied by a reduction in fertility rates.

Why worry about this when it has already taken over jobs?
While the idea that AI has contributed to rampant unemployment and massive layoffs isn’t entirely true, what is irrefutable is the potential costs of AI on jobs for people with disabilities.
Already, when the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is double the rate for those without, AI holds the capacity to improve workplace access through advantages delivered by assistive technologies; however, AI systems that have been trained using historical hiring practices end up closing more doors for people with disabilities as a result of replicated biases. Virtual interview tools may make hiring easier for employers, but they may discriminate against candidates with non-standardized speech, facial differences, hearing loss or other disabilities because of their rigid measurement scales. Even after employees with disabilities have made it through the door, jobs that are more physically intensive or repetitive, which people with disabilities frequently occupy, are found to be automated at higher rates.
Why stop there? Why not the next generation?
As AI algorithms become increasingly integrated into maternal healthcare, advances in fetal ultrasound imaging and prenatal testing like those done by BIOTICSai hold the potential for increases in selective abortion.
Reflecting the deep connection between eugenics and computing, Francis Galton, considered the founder of the eugenics movement, was a renowned statistician; however, his work has not been left to the past. Already in Iceland and Denmark, where prenatal screening and selective abortion are highly prevalent, only two to three children with Down syndrome are born each year.
Today, in the United States, 80% of physicians have integrated AI into their work, so the question is not whether people with disabilities will be screened out of the equation but how many more will be before some type of regulation is adopted.
We welcomed it into our homes, our phones, our schools and our workplaces. It learned our voices, habits and searches. Together, we have fallen victim to a narrative that claims artificial intelligence is the key to solving life’s dilemmas.
While AI has indeed supported many people with disabilities, from image narration tools to transcription, AI-powered wheelchairs, and even robotic guide dogs, technological advancements cannot be celebrated without ignoring a darker reality. A darker reality in which tech CEOs and members of Congress alike are neglecting to acknowledge in their debate over AI guardrails: that is, the same technologies that can help transform lives and build new avenues for independence are quietly reshaping whose land gets stomped on, who gets hired, who is worthy of being born, and ultimately whose lives society values.
Now is not the time to get sucked into another chatbot conversation, but the time to call for global regulation.
Emma Roshioru is a disability advocate and speaker. She wrote this for <a href="https://InsideSources.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">InsideSources.com</a>.
<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/commentary-emma-roshioru-ai-s-impending-war-on-disability/ar-AA2ehc4r?ocid=msedgntp&amp;pc=DCTS&amp;cvid=6ad0ff74691b40e7a875f6f39c96c3bb&amp;ei=36" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/commentary-emma-roshioru-ai-s-impending-war-on-disability/ar-AA2ehc4r?ocid=msedgntp&amp;pc=DCTS&amp;cvid=6ad0ff74691b40e7a875f6f39c96c3bb&amp;ei=36</a><img src="https://us1-photo.nextdoor.com/post_photos/b4/84/b484e7fba7b8f6527279c6697f0fe1a7.png?request_version=v2&amp;quality=80&amp;output_type=jpeg&amp;sizing=linear&amp;clamp=large&amp;x_size=1&amp;y_size=1&amp;resize_type=crop" data-state-srcset="">InsideSources.com - One Network, Three Publicationsinsidesources.com<svg data-state="main" data-version="v2" width="24" height="24" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" data-icon="comment" data-block="16" aria-hidden="true" class="SvgIcon__7lpub83 v2__1a95w150"></svg><svg data-state="main" data-version="v2" width="24" height="24" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" data-icon="share" data-block="16" aria-hidden="true" class="SvgIcon__7lpub83 v2__1a95w150"></svg><svg data-state="main" data-version="v2" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" data-icon="chart" data-block="16" aria-hidden="true" class="SvgIcon__7lpub83 v2__1a95w150"></svg>Post Insights

Local Event: AI DECLARES WAR ON DISABILITY---"First It Came for the Data!"---VOTE As If Your Life Depended On It!

Lincoln County

Siletz

AI DECLARES WAR ON DISABILITY---"First It Came...

AI DECLARES WAR ON DISABILITY---"First It Came for the Data!"
Commentary: Emma Roshioru: AI’s impending war on...

AI DECLARES WAR ON DISABILITY---"First It Came for the Data!"---VOTE As If Your Life Depended On It!

888-339-VOTE (888-339-8683)  OR    www.droregon.org/voting resources      

VOTING HOTLINE NOW OPEN + ONLINE RESOURCES-CALL
888-339-VOTE (888-339-8683)
Website especially for Voters with Disabilities seeking help filling and returning ballots at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.droregon.org/voting-resources" rel="nofollow noopener">https://www.droregon.org/voting-resources</a>
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.droregon.org/voting-resources" rel="nofollow noopener"></a> If voters are not being helped by county clerks, are calling to report ballot boxes that are inaccessible and/or voters are being kept from submitting their ballot in any way, Disability Rights Oregon will contact the Secretary of State’s Elections Office and help file complaints.&nbsp;
Voters with disabilities can call 888-339-VOTE to report
Inaccessible Ballot Drop Boxes and other Voting Barriers
Portland, OR—Disability Rights Oregon (DRO) encourages voters across Oregon to contact its Voter Hotline if they experience Accessibility Barriers or other Voting Problems during the November 2026 election.
Voters with disabilities can call the Disability Rights Oregon Voter Hotline at 888-339-VOTE (888-339-8683).
Oregon votes by mail and through ballot drop boxes, so voters do not have to visit inaccessible polling places.
But barriers can still come up, and Disability Rights Oregon especially wants to hear about ballot drop boxes that are hard or impossible to use. Voters can also call about other disability-related voting problems, such as
trouble getting, filling out, or returning a ballot, OR&nbsp;SUPPORT&nbsp;STAFF&nbsp;who are not allowing a person with a disability to vote.
Disability Rights Oregon can contact the Elections Office, answer voting questions, and file complaints.
“Voting is how people with disabilities claim their seat at the table,” said Jake Cornett, executive director and CEO of Disability Rights Oregon. “No one should lose that power because of a drop box they can’t reach or a ballot they can’t fill out on their own. If you run into a barrier, call us. Your vote matters, and we’ll fight to make sure it counts.”
If you have not yet voted, DRO strongly encourages you to drop your ballot in an official ballot box — or ask someone to do it for you — rather than mailing it to ensure your vote is counted. This is especially important for voters in Rural Areas and on the North Oregon coast where there might be postal delays. Voters can find their local county ballot drop boxes at <a target="_blank" href="https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/pages" rel="nofollow noopener">https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/pages</a>/drop-box-locator.aspx.
# # #
For nearly 50 years, Disability Rights Oregon (DRO) has turned rights into reality for people with disabilities to live, work, and engage in the community. Serving as Oregon’s federally mandated Protection &amp; Advocacy System since 1977, the nonprofit works to transform systems, policies, and practices to give more people the opportunity to reach their full potential. 
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Disability Rights Oregon has reopened its Hotline and launched New Online Resources for voters struggling to receive, fill out and return ballots.
By Alex Baumhardt -OREGON&nbsp;CAPITOL&nbsp;CHRONICLE-October 29th Disability advocates announced Thursday they’ve opened their phone hotline and a new website for people with disability-related voting problems to get assistance and report issues in the run-up to the Nov. 3 midterm election.
Disability Rights Oregon has opened its voter hotline for every election for many years, according to Tom Stenson, the group’s deputy legal director. Stenson’s among those who answer calls to the hotline.
Reach the Voter Hotline:&nbsp; 888-339-VOTE(888-339-8683).&nbsp; Disability Rights Oregon’s accessible, online voting resources written in plain language with closed-captioned, ASL-interpreted videos can be found here:&nbsp; &nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.droregon.org/voting-resources" rel="nofollow noopener">https://www.droregon.org/voting-resources</a>
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.droregon.org/voting-resources" rel="nofollow noopener"></a> “The number one thing people call about is they don’t know what their rights are,” Stenson said.
Voters with blindness or low vision have called to see if it is legal for someone to help fill out their ballot and return it for them (the answer is yes, besides the signature) or if there is an alternative way to fill out and cast their ballot that protects their privacy.&nbsp;
 For that, Stenson said, voters with limited or no vision can call their county clerk and arrange to vote at the clerk’s office via a computer tablet that reads out loud the ballot options and allows voice selection.
 &nbsp;Clerks can also bring tablets to voters at their homes if needed.&nbsp; And people who have lost mobility in an arm or hand have called with concerns about whether their ballot could be disqualified because their signature will look different than in the past.&nbsp;
 “So much of our election security is tied to signatures, so we explain to them how to do their signature,” Stenson said. He advises them to contact their county elections office, where they can register a name stamp or other mark as their signature.` 
 Stenson advises every caller to get their ballot to a box, and not to put it into the mail.

Local Event: `VOTE! To Claim Your Seat At the Table!` HOTLINE FOR HELP NOW OPEN if You Face VOTING BARRIERS!!!

`VOTE! To Claim Your Seat At the Table!`...

VOTING HOTLINE NOW OPEN + ONLINE RESOURCES-CALL
888-339-VOTE (888-339-8683)
Website especially for Voters with Disabilities...

`VOTE! To Claim Your Seat At the Table!` HOTLINE FOR HELP NOW OPEN if You Face VOTING BARRIERS!!!

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AI DECLARES WAR ON DISABILITY---"First It Came for the Data!"---VOTE As If Your Life Depended On It!

`VOTE! To Claim Your Seat At the Table!` HOTLINE FOR HELP NOW OPEN if You Face VOTING BARRIERS!!!