Source: http://m.timesofindia.com/home/specials/assembly-elections-2014/maharashtra- news/Differently-abled-cast-votes-question-others-apathy/articleshow/4483154 3.cms
Differently abled cast votes, question others' apathy Oct 16, 2014, 05.15AM IST TNN[ Nergish Sunavala ] MUMBAI: There was a dearth of facilities for the differently abled at Dharavi's transit camp polling station but that didn't stop polio victims with various mobility aids from casting their vote on Wednesday. They came atop their friends' scooters, husbands' bikes and some even trekked to the polling station in the searing heat with only a walking stick to lean on. When this journalist approached a potential interviewee, she was asked to first help the elderly woman with a walking aid navigate the crowd as no other assistance was at hand. There was also little sensitivity on display from the polling agents, who were busy ushering crowds in and out of the gates. For instance, Shama Mehboob Khan, a polio victim, who travelled to the polling station on her husband's bike, was forced to leave on foot. Her husband was asked to remove his two-wheeler, which was parked to the side of the thoroughfare, while she gave us a brief interview. For most mobility-challenged adults, reaching the spot remained the biggest hurdle. Polio victim Vishnu Chauhan wheeled himself to the polling station on a tricycle, his wife pushing from behind. "It takes an hour to and fro," said the 37-year-old hawker, who sweated profusely during the journey. He remains cynical about the political class though his tricycle was gifted by the Congress. But his belief in the democratic system is still intact. "Whether you have all four limbs or just one, you have to cast your vote," he told TOI. Another polio victim using crutches, Shailesh Shedge, added, "Vote keemti cheez hoti hai." Some even considered it their duty to be role models for the rest of us. "If I can do my duty of voting, then why can't all other youngsters," said 24-year-old Mansi Rane, who suffers from cerebral palsy and has a speech defect and walking handicap. Kaustubh Tapal (21), a visually-impaired student of St. Xavier's College, who has voted in the LS and BMC elections, strode into the station, asked for a list of candidates in Braille and after checking if the machine had Braille labels, proceeded to cast his vote. Those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and cognitive impairments were able to master the motions of voting but their understanding of its larger implications, remained limited. Mentally challenged Mayur Kotak is a huge fan of a certain leader, claims his father Sudhir. "We discussed it at home. He knew the symbols and accordingly pressed the button." Parul Kumtha's son Kabir, who has ASD, voted for the second time in this election. He was a "smooth operator" this time and had his "voting finger" ready to be inked, wrote Parul on Facebook. His mother, who walked him through the process, had to sign a declaration promising she wouldn't disclose his vote or assist any other individual in this election. The polling agents remembered 6.4-ft tall Kabir from the LS polls, but were still bemused by his final request, wrote Kumtha. "After he was done with the business of voting, he politely asked for the ink pad and name registry to do some thumb-print art work." Clean India Campaign: Let us also chip in! Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in 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..
