PwDs seek better facilities at polling stations
CHENNAI: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, people with disabilities (PwDs) have asked election officials to provide more accessible polling stations.
“Facility for voting from home is restricted only for people who are certified disabled 40 per cent or more. They are forced to depend on the Election Commission and only a few people who belong to the specific category are reached out to help exercise their franchise. Those people who did not have the disability certificates are not eligible for the facility of voting from their house,” said Vaishnavi Jayakumar from the Disability Rights Alliance.
“To be precise all the provisions are only on paper and not on the ground. There is no assurance of having a ramp of at least a 1:12 gradient for disabled voters. There must be transparency in everything related to the benefits or accessibility of PwDs for the elections. Also, there must be transport facilities provided for persons with disabilities to reach the polling stations,” she added.
The disabled must have the accessibility to reach and vote without any obstacles. They must be provided with all the facilities at the polling stations like toilets, drinking water, ramps, and facilities for people with low vision, said the organisations working for the disabled.
“Many people are unaware of the facility of voting from home. They think they must reach the booth to cast their vote. Apart from that most of them are unaware of the other facilities available. There must be guards who can communicate in Tamil as this is highly important for PwD voters in Tamil Nadu,” said P Saravanan, Chairman, the Disabled Social Justice Movement.
Many opined that since most of the government school grounds have uneven muddy surfaces, providing ramps for easy movement of wheelchair-bound voters is essential. For the visually impaired people, there is a need for a Braille system or else there must be an option to bring a person along for assistance. For the hearing impaired, there must be someone to help with sign language. Moreover, all the polling stations must have disabled-friendly toilets for the PwDs.
Touching upon the subject, District Election Officer and GCC Commissioner J Radhakrishnan said that the requirements for PwDs are mostly provided. Ramps are built at the polling stations and most of the barricades have been removed.
Also referring to the lack of awareness about the facility of aiding them to cast votes from home, he said they are informed through all media and area meetings.
“Some PwDs still prefer to come to the polling stations and either way facilities are arranged for them,” he added.