EC warned to make website differently-abled friendly
Bindu Shajan Perappadan
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 differently-abled voters. There are Prime Minister Office (PMO)
orders as well as guidelines whereby all government institutions must make
their websites accessible to the differently-abled. 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
differently-abled and give them the right to vote in a well informed manner.''
The visually impaired need to have a user-friendly website to ensure that they
are able to make an informed choice before voting
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/ec-warned-to-make-website-differentlyabled-friendly/article6327264.ece
Vikas Kapoor,
Mobile: (+91) 9891098137, 9013354994
Skype Id: dl_vikas
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