April 10, 2019
The Devnar School for Blind is a pioneering institution that
is working to empower visually impaired people in Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana. They have also been entrusted with the important job of preparing
dummy Braille ballot papers for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The 26-page
Braille dummy ballot paper will have the names of the 185 candidates who are
contesting for the Nizamabad seat and more.
The school has been printing Braille ballot papers since 2004, playing a
vital role in helping visually impaired voters to participate in the Assembly
and Parliamentary elections.
Sai Baba Goud, who founded the school says that earlier he
Braille ballot papers were limited to a few pages. With more contestants in
the fray and greater voter participation, the number of pages has increased
this time.
Devnar School for Blind has been working closely with government to print
these Braille ballot papers since the year 2004. Now, there is an increased
awareness about elections as well. More visually impaired people are coming
forward to cast their votes and playing a role in government formation. We
have a huge turnout of visually impaired people who will go to polling
booths this year. This is applicable for both Andhra Pradesh and Telengana.
– Sai Baba Goud, Founder, Devnar School for Blind
The dummy ballot papers have the names of the candidates, serial numbers and
party names. When a visually impaired voter goes to the polling booth, they
will be handed over this dummy ballot paper. They can later cast their votes
in the electronic voting machine which can accommodate the names of up to 16
candidates.
“The government has also launched an Android app to ensure that there is
better participation of visually impaired people in the upcoming elections.
With organizations like Devnar working closely with government, it is
definitely going to be an inclusive election”, hopes Shirisha
Latha, who is the secretary of Nethra Vidyalaya in
Hyderabad, a school for visually impaired people.
Tomorrow, 11 April, is when the first phase of voting will be head. How it
goes from the accessibility perspective will be keenly watched by the
disabled community across India.
ALSO READ: Get informed about the Election Commission of India’s PwD App
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21913
