Panel to help more disabled people vote in Delhi

NEW DELHI: An eight-member State Steering Committee on Accessible Election was formed on Tuesday to ensure and monitor the electoral process in Delhi.

The committee, which was created on the direction and guidelines of the Election Commission, has been entrusted with the task of mapping persons with disabilities (PwD) according to the poll stations as well as maintaining and updating the data regularly. Also, it has to look into identifying PwDs who are not enrolled in the voters’ list and facilitate the same by planning special camps and sensitisation efforts, and submit a periodic report to the ECI.

The committee comprises the chairperson, six members and the convener. While the chief electoral officer (CEO) will chair the committee, the additional CEO will be the convener. The other members include principal secretary, Delhi government, director, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhayaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities, directors of department of social welfare and education, Dr Satendra Singh, associate professor, University College of Medical Science, Delhi University, Dr Achal Bhagat, chairperson, AADI, an NGO.

The committee will facilitate creating a barrier-free environment for efficient and effective electoral participation by the disabled, and ensure training for election functionaries by sensitising them on special needs of PwDs, prepare a module on the same, and share with the districts. It would also assess the recommendations of District Monitoring Committee on Accessible Election (DMCAE) on further steps to be taken to enhance their electoral participation, and appoint state icons from among PwDs.

Source: Times of India 20 Sept 2018

Election Commission warned to make websites disabled friendly

The Hindu, 18 Aug 2014
The ECI has been given a 30-day deadline (from July 31 onwards) to comply and make amends.

Pressure from disability rights activists has prompted the Court of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities to issue a stern warning and ultimatum to the Election Commission of India (ECI) asking it to make its website user friendly for persons with disability.

The ECI has been given a 30-day deadline (from July 31 onwards) to comply and make amends.

Dr. Satendra Singh, a polio survivor and assistant professor of physiology at the University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, who has been pursuing the case said: “The ECI has been directed to intimate the Court of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities within 30 days about the action taken on the direction.”

Dr. Singh added that while Delhi has made its website accessible for persons with disability the same has not been made available to the rest of the country.

“The visually impaired need to have a user-friendly website to ensure that they are able to make an informed choice before voting. Though we have been appealing to the ECI since December last year there has been no response from them,” said Dr. Singh.

“Despite my letters, the ECI did not budge and did not make their website accessible to disabled voters. There are Prime Minister Office (PMO) orders as well as guidelines whereby all government institutions must make their websites disabled-friendly. However, we are hoping that things will improve now,” said Dr. Singh.

Accusing the ECI of having violated the orders issued by the PMO in 2010, Dr. Singh said: “The current direction by the Court of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities we hope will work favourably for the persons with disabilities and give them the right to vote in a well informed manner.’’

Source: The Hindu

Spirited disabled voters throng well-equipped poll booths

Lok Sabha Polls
Spirited disabled voters throng well-equipped poll booths 
PTI News

Wheelchair bound Poonam, a blind woman with half her body paralysed, could not speak but happily flashed her inked finger to everyone at the Karaval Nagar polling booth under North-east Delhi constituency.
This was not the first time she was casting her vote but Poonam, accompanied by her father, was equally excited about exercising her franchise.

Watching 60-year-old Ratan Singh enter the Burari poll on crutches, two volunteers rushed towards him with a wheelchair, but he moved forward to the polling room on his own. Differently abled voters, who had to face difficulties while exercising their franchise in the recently concluded Delhi Assemble elections held in December 2013, were a happy lot after witnessing improved and accessible polling booths across the capital.

The Delhi Election Commission had provided a wheelchair and two volunteers at each polling station to ensure better accessability to differently-abled voters.
"Unlike the Delhi Assembly elections, the arrangements in and around the polling stations were surprisingly good. I was offered a wheel chair by an assistant as soon as I arrived to cast my vote at Modern Public School in Barakhamba Road," said Ramesh Kumar.

RTI activist Dr Satendra Singh had raised the issue of inadequate facilities for disabled voters at polling stations. "I visited more than 40 polling stations to check if the promises made by the concerned officials have been fulfilled.
I felt extremely happy to see the things changed this time as each polling booth had at least one wheelchair with an attendant," he said. Unperturbed by the unavailability of facilities, most disabled voters asserted that they should vote irrespective of difficulties. "Irrespective of the facilities at the polling booth, I would have to exercise my franchise, as I believe that each and every vote counts and will have an impact," 28-year-old Mohammad Javed, who was accompanied by his father, said.

A regular voter, Sonia Singh said, when wheelchairs were not available her brother and father would lift her up to help her vote at the poll booth. "I am voting for the fourth time and when wheelchairs were not available my brother or father used to lift me. I am happy there are such facilities now, but I would have come anyway." Purbi Devi, who had lost her legs in an accident, said if she was aware about NOTA option she would have used it.

"I came to vote because I believe its my responsibility. I would have exercised the NOTA option, but I would have come for sure. I never miss any election," the 42-year-old woman said.
Delhi Election Commission had vowed to provide certain facilities to disabled voters including smooth transit to the polling booth.

Apart from facilities like braile ballots and ramps at the polling stations which were provided in the earlier elections as well, the DEC ensured availability of wheelchair and trained volunteers at every polling booth.
A software enabling the people with special needs to seek customised arrangement for them on the polling day, was also launched by the election commission, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Lok Sabha elections 2014

Perseverance Pays: Call for inclusive elections (The Hindu)

Perseverance Pays: My media campaigning on the World Disability Day; before
the Delhi election; on the polling day; after the DE; complaint to ECI,
CCPD, DSEC; RTI to ECI, CEO Delhi; campaigning on National Voters Day and
subsequent media coverage is finally getting repaid. The CEO Delhi accepted
our suggestion for inclusive elections. Hard work and strategic planning
certainly works.

Todays 'The Hindu' covers the story:

Call for inclusive elections

Access audit of polling booths by persons with disabilities, pictorial
signage for those with hearing problems, provision for wheel-chair users on
the polling day and involvement of special educators to create videos for
educating the polling staff - these are among the suggestions placed before
the Delhi Election Commission earlier this week by a group of
representatives from various disability groups to ensure that persons with
disabilities are able to participate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Disability activist Dr. Satendra Singh, who is part of the group, said:
"The Election Commission in a meeting with our group acknowledged the
deficiencies and has promised to rectify it at the earliest. Attitudinal
barrier was acknowledged as the major hindrance."

Members from the Handicapped Welfare Federation have also demanded that
there should be a database of voters with disabilities and that staff from
the Delhi Social Welfare Department should monitor booths.

"We have also said that there is a need to include pictorial signage to
help persons with psychosocial disabilities. Also, persons with cerebral
palsy should have a companion to press the buttons. Currently the benefit
is given only to the blind. Provision of wheelchairs on polling day is also
a matter to be taken care of," added Dr. Singh.

Stating that the Commission should look at establishing a helpline number
for persons with disabilities, Dr. Singh added that special educators be
involved in creating videos for educating and creating awareness among
polling staff.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/call-for-inclusive-elections/article5807757.ece

विकलांगों के लिए गंभीर नहीं चुनाव आयोग (डॉ सत्येन्द्र सिंह की RTI )

पंजाब केसरी, २६ जनवरी २०१४

नई दिल्ली: देश में विकलांग मतदताओं को चुनाव के दौरान अक्सर कठिनाइयों का सामना करना पड़ता है, लेकिन राष्ट्रीय चुनाव आयोग इसे लेकर गंभीर नहीं लग रहा है। इस बात का खुलासा सूचना के अधिकार के तहत मांगी गई जानकारी से हुआ है।  गत दिनों दिल्ली सहित अन्य राज्यों में हुए विधान सभा चुनावों के दौरान भी विकलांग मतदाताओं को इनका खामियाजा भुगतना पड़ा है। 

 गुरूतेग बहादुर अस्पताल स्थित यूनिवर्सिटी  कालेज आफ मैडिकल साइंस में फिजियोलॉजी के प्रोफेसर एवं विकलांग अधिकारों के लिए लड़ाई लडऩे वाले डॉ. सत्येन्द्र सिंह ने जब सूचना के अधिकार के तहत विकलांग मतदाताओं की समस्याओं एवं उन्हें दूर करने के संबंध में किये गये प्रयासों की जानकारी राष्ट्रीय चुनाव आयोग से मांगी तो आयोग के जवाब चौंकाने वाले थे।

डॉ. सिंह ने का कहना है कि सरकार एक तरफ तो विकलांगों के सशक्तीकरण की बात कहती है, दूसरी तरफ राष्ट्रीय चुनाव आयोग के पास देश के विकलांग मतदाताओं के बारे में कोई डाटा ही नही है। इतना ही नेत्रहीन तो राष्ट्रीय चुनाव आयोग की वेबसाइट तक नही देख सकते जबकि प्रधानमंत्री कार्यालय, नेशनल इंर्फोमेटिक्स सेन्टर और मुख्य आयुक्त निशक्तजन की ओर से इस बारे में स्पष्ट निर्देश जारी किये गये है। आरटीआई से प्राप्त जानकारी का खुलासा करते हुए उन्होंने कहा कि उच्चतम न्यायालय ने 2004 में विकलांग मतदाताओं को जागरूक करने के लिए टीवी एवं अखबार के माध्यम से कैंपेन चलाने के निर्देश दिये थे। प्राप्त जानकारी के तहत आयोग ने अभी तक ऐसे कोई कदम नहीं उठाये हैं।

संबंधित संस्थाओं से संपर्क करने में भी कोताही

मतदान में विकलांग जनों की भागीदारी सुनिश्चत करने के लिए राष्ट्रीय चुनाव आयोग ने राज्यों एवं केन्द्र शासित प्रदेशों से कोई संपर्क नहीं किया। इसके अलावा आयोग ने विकलांगता के क्षेत्र में कार्य करने वाले किसी एनजीओ से भी विकलांग मतदाताओं की भागीदारी सुनिश्चत करने के लिए भी कोई संपर्क किया गया।

 

डॉ. सिंह ने कहा कि 2004 में जारी उच्चतम न्यायालय के निर्देशों का अभी तक पालन न किया जाना विकलांग मतदाताओं के मताधिकार का पूरी तरह हनन है। आम चुनाव में मुश्किल से 100 दिन बचे है। ऐसे में विकलांग मतदाताओं को होने वाली परेशानियों के निवारण के लिए हम अपनी आवाज नीति निर्माताओं, सरकार तक पहुंचाने का प्रयास कर रहे हैं। 

नवोदय टाइम्स, २६ जनवरी २०१४ 

RTI EXPOSE: Polls near, but no data of voters with disabilities

Times of India

Manash Pratim Gohain, TNN Jan 27, 2014, 05.32AM IST 

NEW DELHI: Even as India celebrates "National Voters' Day" last Saturday, the world's largest democracy is ill-prepared to safeguard electoral rights of voters with disabilities.

The general elections are just a couple of months away, and the Election Commission (EC) has no record of voters with disabilities. Despite orders from the offices of the Prime Minister of India, National Informatics Centre and chief commissioner for People with Disabilities (PwDs), the website of the EC is still not accessible to electors with visual disabilities.

While the Supreme Court too directed the EC to create adequate awareness for electors with disabilities through mass media campaigns, information availed via Right to Information revealed that no separate awareness campaign has been created for disabled voters.

RTIs also revealed that EC has no record on electoral speeches and debates of candidates made available to hearing-impaired voters through sign language interpreters and subtitling and the commission has sent no communication to the CEO of states and union territories to involve maximum electors with disabilities.

The National Voters' Day, being celebrated on January 25 since 2011, is dedicated to the constitutional rights of adult suffrage granted to every India citizen, irrespective of religion, race, caste, community, language, region or socio-economic considerations.

In the Delhi assembly elections in December, RTI activist and a doctor with disability at University College of Medical Science, Delhi University, Dr Satendra Singh campaigned before and after the polling day on the hurdles faced by electors with disability.

"I complained to state commissioner for PwD when many disabled voters could not vote in Delhi elections due to inaccessible polling booths. In response, the commissioner only submitted an old letter where he wrote to the chief electoral officer about guidelines to follow. The message is clear: we are not vote banks and those who are supposed to be safeguarding our rights are sitting idle, doing nothing," said Singh.

When asked via RTI: "Are the issues of persons with disabilities covered in Systemic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP)?", the EC replied in negative. To another question asking for "details of persons with disabilities and organizations for disability consulted to ensure maximum participation of electors with disability?", the reply said "no information available."

Source: Times of India, page 10 dated 27 Jan 2014