Ehrlich Courts Disabled Voters

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., whose running mate, Kristen Cox, is blind, says "empowering people" is his mission. (Chris Gardner - AP)

"There's no question they've been very friendly to the disabled community," said Josie Thomas, a Democrat who serves as executive director of Parents' Place of Maryland, a center for families of children with disabilities. "It wasn't what anyone necessarily expected. He just right away, from day one, got moving on it and showed a real commitment."

But it was the governor's effort to help deaf people navigate driver education that was most warmly applauded Tuesday in Frederick, especially by teenagers.

Yvonne M. Dunkle, a former faculty member at the Maryland School for the Deaf who heads Maryland's Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, said the state has worked with the Motor Vehicle Administration to improve driver education for the deaf.

"It's not acceptable for deaf and hard-of-hearing students not to be able to take driver's ed," she said, "But it won't be that way for long."

Ehrlich is not alone in his outreach to the disabled. O'Malley attended a forum in May at which he outlined his goals for serving the disabled and his record in improving services for disabled Baltimore residents.

Politically, Ehrlich has the most to gain by reaching out to this constituency, said Keith Haller, president of Potomac Inc., an independent research firm. A Washington Post poll conducted last month showed that most people view Ehrlich as a traditional Republican, believing that large corporations have too much influence with his administration while regular people do not have enough.

"This provides him a progressive social agenda that doesn't run in conflict with being conservative on fiscal matters," Haller said. "It's a smart move."

After his speech, Ehrlich told reporters that working on behalf of the disabled is not just a passing political fancy but has been a major part of his career. He noted it was how he first met Cox.

And Cox has picked up his message. In Charles County last week to speak with GOP activists, she put it this way: "The real mission that the governor and I jointly share is helping those who haven't had a shot in life."

Staff writer Philip Rucker contributed to this report.