Braille-equipped voting machines and ramps in Indian state elections
The state chief electoral officer, M.N. Vidyashankar, gave this assurance to disability activists who had gone to meet him on April 9, under the banner of Karnataka Angavikalara Rajya Okkoota (KARO), an ActionAid supported initiative. “It hardly costs Rs 5 to insert Braille feature on the voting machine. But it helps a visually challenged person to be independent of others while making a choice,” N.P. Ramachandran, district secretary of KARO, was quoted as saying in a media report. Vidyashankar promised that a circular will be issued soon to all officials concerned to ensure that each polling booth has a ramp and Braille equipped voting machines so that persons with disabilities can vote in the election from May 10, 2008. Missing from political agenda As delegates, including wheelchair users and people with vision impairment, visited offices of political parties seeking representation of their demands in the election manifestos, they met with several barriers. “Steep stairs at the entrance inadvertently greeted the delegates and despite being informed in advance no one was there to hear us,” said Victor John Cordeiro, programme manager of ActionAid’s Disability Unit. “Delegates spontaneously shouted ‘remove stairs and construct ramps’ and all the others joined in,” he added. Often termed as invisible minority, people with disability and their rights have been neglected by political parties. Making each vote count Infuriated by neglect, the state-level coalition of disability rights group claiming representation of three million disabled people served an ultimatum to party candidates that they stand to lose if their manifestos and election speeches do not address these demands. The ultimatum lists demands including implementation of disability act, education for all children with disability by 2012 and barrier-free access to public spaces. In 2004, the Supreme Court of India issued a directive asking the Election Commission to take measures to allow persons with disabilities cast their votes. The commission itself has since sent out many notices to state election bodies to ensure implementation. “We are going to keep a strict vigil not only on Braille equipped voting machines, but also on the election speeches and manifestos,” said Ramanath, secretary KARO. Source: ActionAid India |
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