Enabling Voters with Disability Delhis Experience

Presentation before:

Honble Election Commission of

India
Context:
Nomination for Special Award
December 29, 2015
Presented by: Vishva Mohan and Anil
Bhola
Office of Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi

The Target Group

2,34,882 Person with Disabilities in Delhi (2011 census)
60% of them can be estimated as voters approx 1.40

lacs
Their inclusion into voting may help formulation of public

policy favorable to PwDs

Traditionally, disability was seen as a reason for exclusion

but now inadequate accommodation is considered the

reason, making electoral officers role very important.
Senior citizens and sick persons (temporarily disabled)

also need accommodation to cast vote

Media/NGO feedback post - Delhi Assembly

Elections, 2013 - bared the challenge for us
Much was needed to be done, to make polling station
accessible to voters with disability so that they come out
and vote with dignity.

The problem areas identified with

stakeholder engagement with a
resolve to change

Infrastructure

Non-availability of appropriate Ramps

Steep slope/Unstable ramps without handrails Fear of falling
Obstacles for wheelchair from polling station gate to the voting
compartment
Lack of wheelchairs
Lack of signage

Training to polling staf

Sensitization needed of special needs of PwDs
DOs and DONTs not known for diferent kinds of disability
Hearing impaired - how to explain them voting procedure
Speaking impaired - Polling staf unable to understand them
Visually disabled how to assist them to cast vote

Communication How to convey to PwDs to avail the legal

provisions and ECIs special arrangements to facilitate them in casting
vote.

The Solution Matrix

Going beyond the conventional

definition
Besides the conventionally understood voters
with disability, senior citizens, pregnant women,
and voters with a temporary disability (fractured
limb, etc) also need to be facilitated.
This is important in context of voting - a nonmandatory activity.
The facilities provided were publicized in
advance, so that the voters with disability did not
hesitate to come out and vote.

The specially made training film

A 21-minute video film was made with NGOs help essential to

train over 100,000 personnel, during a limited timeframe, with
very few trainers.
The film depicts
the correct ramps with handrails and appropriate slope;
volunteers correctly operating wheelchairs;
Polling staf assisting voters with visual, hearing and
speaking disabilities with courtesy but equally ;
Polling staf extending preferential entry to PwDs without
making them wait in queue;
Polling staf allowing companion to blind/infirm voters under
Rule 49N of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961;
Special signage erected for entry, exit, toilets, parking etc.
Besides the training sessions, the film could be viewed
conveniently by polling staf on CEO office website.

DOS and DONTS booklet for polling

personnel
Provides details of what needs to be done by
polling personnel to meet requirements for
each of the major disability.
Emphasizes the soft part of giving the voters
with disability a preferential, courteous and
respectful treatment.
This is a coloured booklet, with many
sketches/pictorials specially made, yet printed
at very low cost as most of the work was
carried out in-house in association with NGOs.
A handy ready reckoner, it was included in
Presiding Officers polling kit.

Institutional Mechanism created

Nodal Officer of the Department of Disability Afairs (Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment, GOI) was appointed in each of
the nine election district.
Nodal Officer (Disability) of DEO was also appointed in each
District and his name and phone number was notified in
newspapers.
Meeting was held at the level of CEO, Delhi with all Stake holders
including District Election Officers, Government departments,
NGOs, and Local bodies, spelling out role of all and facilitating
further coordination.
Audit teams comprising officers of Institute of Physically
Handicapped (IPH)/ALIMCO and Sector Officers were deployed
under coordination by Nodal officers to check that infrastructure
at polling locations met the benchmark.
Additional teams were deployed by CEO to ensure facilities.

Posters and Signage

Four posters were specially made and displayed at the
polling station one each was pasted behind Polling
Officers 1, 2 and 3, and one pasted in the voting
compartment.
These are coloured posters with message in simple words
in both Hindi and English, and also pictorial.
The posters are especially useful for voters with hearing
disability, minimizing need of oral communication.
Beneficial for first-time voters too.
Posters and Signage, along with DOs and DONTs booklet
were included in the presiding officers polling kit.

Information, Education, Communication

(IEC)
Wide publicity was given to the measures put in place
for facilitating voters with disability as well as senior
citizens and voters with temporary
disabilities/debilitation through:

CEOs Press Conferences and briefings to media

persons;

Newspaper advertisements;

SVEEP activities
Registration facility was provided to the voters with
disability at CEO Delhi website, during Lok Sabha
Elections, 2015.
For Assembly Elections, 2015 phone facility was
provided for registration with concerned Nodal Officer.

Summary of Achievement/Work
Targeted training imparted to the entire polling staf during
second and third trainings with specially prepared video
film and power point.
Professionals from GoI institutes and reputed NGOs
partnered for training.
The training sensitized and equipped the staf in a short time
- to extend appropriate behavioural courtesy and assist the
voters with diferent disabilities with available resources.
Over 3,000 volunteers trained and deployed with May I Help
You tags to assist voters with disabilities. These included 231
volunteers of NSS from JNU, Jamia Milia and Delhi University
and over 2600 Multi Tasking Staf of GNCTD, besides the
volunteers from specialised NGOs and Government
organizations working for PwDs.
Students of Institute of Physically Handicapped (IPH) gave
practical training to volunteers in operating wheelchairs.

Summary of Achievement/Work contd

All polling stations deployed disabled friendly physical
infrastructure.
Smallest details were emphasised: Height of table on which EVM is
placed, no loose cables to obstruct wheelchair movement, adequate
space between furniture to turn the wheelchair, careful barricading
so as not to obstruct wheelchairs, etc.
NGOs and government disability professionals teamed up with the
election staf to audit the infrastructure ahead of poll day.
700 wheelchairs were deployed at polling locations with trained
operators/volunteers to serve the orthopedically disabled, sick
persons and senior citizens.
Our endeavours made the elections more inclusive and provided
replicable models in terms of training, infra, as well as institutions.
Successful outcome can also be gauged from the feedback of NGOs
and media reports, who all praised the Election Commission for
enabling voters with disability to happily cast their vote with dignity.

Turnaround from 2013

Thanks