Gokul
Chand voted without his wife's help for the first time. "It's a secret
ballot. I always wished I could do it on my own," said the music teacher
who is blind. On entering the model polling booth near Hanuman Mandir,
he was handed detailed directions in Braille to use the electronic
voting machine (EVM). Gokul, who voted for the "common man's party",
said his vote is for checking inflation and providing better
opportunities to the blind.
However, not all disabled voters had such a comfortable experience. Several polling booths, especially those in schools, had no ramps but only steep stairs. At the Delhi College of Art, ITO, Alwin Massy struggled up the stairs. His legs are partially paralysed from a stroke that he suffered a few years ago. "I am not complaining because this happens to us every day. There was a man helping people, but a ramp could have made things much smoother," he said.
Most booths had wheelchairs as well as an officer to assist disabled voters. However, at places the wheelchairs were kept a long way off from the polling station entrance. At some booths, for instance in Salwan Public School, Rajinder Nagar, the ramp was so steep that many couldn't use it at all.
Greater Kailash-II resident Manish Gupta, who is disabled but not a wheelchair user, said the new government should make the city accessible. "I can't go to restaurants and shops, and on my birthday I stay at home while others are out partying. Simply because there are no ramps or lifts in most places," he said.
"For the December election, I had to walk into the centre. Having wheelchairs this time has helped a lot," said Kalavati, 80, on her way out of a polling station in Mangolpuri. She seemed to be enjoying the care and waved at passing policemen and other voters. "I'll go home in this (wheelchair)," she told Sanjay Kumar who was assisting the disabled. She got a warm send-off in a rickshaw from Kumar, a few voters and the entire contingent of policemen posted at the gate.
The wheelchairs were much in demand. Kuldeep, who was assisting the disabled people at a centre in Bawana, said he had helped out about a dozen voters. "Two of them were blind."
At Mangolpuri Q-Block, Loveleen Chauhan had wheeled in three voters by 11am. But some disabled voters chose not to use wheelchairs. "If I use it now, what will I do tomorrow?" said Ramprasad, 68, as he lumbered along in a walker in Sultanpur Majra.
Disability rights activist Javed Abidi welcomed the change. "I was in a car. When the cops saw I am a wheelchair user, they allowed us to drive in till the booth. One of our staff members whose polling booth was in a community banquet hall said the place has a permanent ramp."
"Every election, I was forced to leave my wheelchair and walk up to the booth on crutches. The election commission made excellent arrangements this time," said Mohammed Riyaz Khan, a resident of Jawahar Mohalla.
Dr Satendra Singh, who highlighted the lack of accessible polling booths earlier, said that he is satisfied with the arrangements this time. He credited the election office and NGOs for the improvement.
Source : TOI , 11th April 2014
However, not all disabled voters had such a comfortable experience. Several polling booths, especially those in schools, had no ramps but only steep stairs. At the Delhi College of Art, ITO, Alwin Massy struggled up the stairs. His legs are partially paralysed from a stroke that he suffered a few years ago. "I am not complaining because this happens to us every day. There was a man helping people, but a ramp could have made things much smoother," he said.
Most booths had wheelchairs as well as an officer to assist disabled voters. However, at places the wheelchairs were kept a long way off from the polling station entrance. At some booths, for instance in Salwan Public School, Rajinder Nagar, the ramp was so steep that many couldn't use it at all.
Greater Kailash-II resident Manish Gupta, who is disabled but not a wheelchair user, said the new government should make the city accessible. "I can't go to restaurants and shops, and on my birthday I stay at home while others are out partying. Simply because there are no ramps or lifts in most places," he said.
"For the December election, I had to walk into the centre. Having wheelchairs this time has helped a lot," said Kalavati, 80, on her way out of a polling station in Mangolpuri. She seemed to be enjoying the care and waved at passing policemen and other voters. "I'll go home in this (wheelchair)," she told Sanjay Kumar who was assisting the disabled. She got a warm send-off in a rickshaw from Kumar, a few voters and the entire contingent of policemen posted at the gate.
The wheelchairs were much in demand. Kuldeep, who was assisting the disabled people at a centre in Bawana, said he had helped out about a dozen voters. "Two of them were blind."
At Mangolpuri Q-Block, Loveleen Chauhan had wheeled in three voters by 11am. But some disabled voters chose not to use wheelchairs. "If I use it now, what will I do tomorrow?" said Ramprasad, 68, as he lumbered along in a walker in Sultanpur Majra.
Disability rights activist Javed Abidi welcomed the change. "I was in a car. When the cops saw I am a wheelchair user, they allowed us to drive in till the booth. One of our staff members whose polling booth was in a community banquet hall said the place has a permanent ramp."
"Every election, I was forced to leave my wheelchair and walk up to the booth on crutches. The election commission made excellent arrangements this time," said Mohammed Riyaz Khan, a resident of Jawahar Mohalla.
Dr Satendra Singh, who highlighted the lack of accessible polling booths earlier, said that he is satisfied with the arrangements this time. He credited the election office and NGOs for the improvement.
Source : TOI , 11th April 2014
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