National Voter’s day on 25 January is a day dedicated to
bringing together the youth to vote and take part in the political process.
This year the focus was on disabled voters across many states with Karnataka
taking the lead to introduce measures to make voting accessible to all, a
major challenge given the inaccessibility of voting booths.
Take Dakshina Karnataka, where there are over 10,000 people
with different kinds of disabilities. With national elections round the
corner, the district administration is gearing up to ensure that all voters
are able to vote without any hassles. This means voters can enrol their names
seven days after election dates are announced. There is also a helpline
number 1950 where voters can call in with questions.
This is being planned for cities like Bengaluru and
Mangaluru as well which have a huge disabled population and the
state government is not leaving any stone unturned to make sure that their
needs are addressed.
Venkatesha Babu, a para sportsman from
Gouribidanur is a regular voter and this year too, he is
determined to make it count.
I feel Karnataka government has always been great to disabled voters. Till
date, I have not faced any difficulties before or during voting. The staffs
are helpful. In fact, they come home to take our details so that we do not
have to face the trouble of going to government offices to enrol our names.
Since I use wheelchair, I have easy access because most of the booths have
wheelchair ramps. Have you noticed that most of the government buildings
here also have wheelchair ramps? That shows how well our government in
sensitive towards our requirements. By providing more facilities, Karnataka
government are becoming torch bearers of inclusion. –Venkatesha
Babu, Para sportsperson
But not everyone has such positive words to say. For some like
Krishna Kumar, who lives in Bengaluru, it has been a rather
inconvenient experience.
“I have been voting for the last two years. But the places that I have gone
to were never accessible. They did not even have wheelchair ramps. Since my
brother was there, he lifted me up and that is how I could cast my vote. But
I hope that the government introduces something so that more disabled people
can take part in elections. Also, they will be able to go independently”,
says Krishna Kumar, a wheelchair user from Bengaluru.
From Braille-enabled voters lips to wheelchair ramps at all polling booths,
authorities are going all out to ensure that disabled voters participate.
They will even be special privileges so they don’t need to wait in queues.
and need not. Will this work? The acid test will come on voting day.
ALSO READ: The path to accessible elections in India is filled with
roadblocks
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21211
