In reply Smitha has the following to say: Thanks Kanchan and Mr.Avee Gupta!
Lovely to know that Elections were accessible from a voter and civil society side. Pl monitor that polling booths follow accessible standards and not just name sake ramps. In case you come across steep and unleveled ramps or any hurdles in polling booths, please report to me. Could you also figure out if any accessible Elections app is available for MP and find out the grievance segment if it is addressing all issues from getting voter ID card to mapping Disability to facilitate accessible Elections to accessible polling booths. Companion can be allowed for voters with visual impairment to help them use the EVMs after signing form 49a. The same person cannot assist anyone else for using EVM. If assistance not required to operate EVM, they need not sign form 49a. For any further details, pl get back. Hi Srinivasan, Braille ballot sheet cannot be given to houses of people with visual impairment in the same way that print ballot sheets cannot be given to houses of sited voters, as there may be misuse or malpracice of information shared or the ballot sheet itself. Everyone are supposed to read the ballot sheet at Polling booth only. Otherwise one can go to the website of chief Electoral Officer and get information on the contesting candidates in one s constituency. That is a valid information as it comes from CEOs website. All CEOs website need to be made accessible. Please check your CEOs website and let me know if it isnt accessible. Also send a complaint to CEO directly with a copy to me if website is not accessible, so that I too can work on this front. All EVMs have braille numerals embedded on right side. Braille candidate sheet is also there to refer and then press the buttons against braille numerals. However there is a companion facility available for those who don't know brialle or those who want to take their companion with them for voting. Both options available for voters with visual impairment. Thanks & Regards Smitha -----Original Message----- From: AccessIndia [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Srinivas Karnati Sent: 16 January 2019 12:50 To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issuesconcerning the disabled. Subject: Re: [AI] states that had polls in November-December 2018 Hi friends, greetings of the day. I am Srinivas from Telangana state. This year, the election commission of Telangana has taken the following measures for persons with disabilities. 1) Ramps are arranged in all polling booths wether the buildings are private or government. 2) Braille symbols are there in EVM machines. 3) Braille ballot papers containing the names of contestants are supplied to the polling booths. 4) Some people with Visual impairment and other disabilities are selected as icons to bring awareness among the public on the importance of utilisation of right to vote. 5) Some posters are prepared and they are pasted in front of all the polling booths. 6) In some districts the district officials have appointed the visually challenged as election incharges to help other visually challenged who doesn't know the Braille. 7) The district officials had conducted the meetings with persons with Visual impairment as well as hearing impairment and brought awareness on VVPATs. These are the main initiatives taken by the election commission in the earlier elections of state assembly in Telangana. I strongly feel that supply of Braille ballot papers to all polling booths is not a correct step. This step may not helpful to the visually challenged individuals because they can't observe the Braille papers in the polling booth. I strongly feel that there is a need to print the Braille papers as well as large print with contestants names and supply them to the houses of the visually challenged. This responsibility should be given to the booth level officers. Then the visually challenged can read the Braille paper. They could know who are contesting in his or her constituency and the serial number of the contest to whom he or she wished to vote. On Wed 16 Jan, 2019, 11:22 AM Kanchan Pamnani, <[email protected]> wrote: > As all of you know the Disability sector has been working closely with > the Election Commission for several years and have intensely been > working with the Commission since July 2018. > > 5 states went to polls recently-Is there any first hand experience > from Accessindians from these states? > > Please share > > Kanchan > > > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. > https://www.avg.com > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [email protected] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org > .in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking > of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its > veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the > mails sent through this mailing list.. > > Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
