Niger Delta
PWDs Want Assistive Devices To Vote On March 11
Some Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Edo State have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make assistive devices available in polling units during the March 11 Governorship and House of Assembly elections.
The PWDs made the call recently in separate interviews with The Tide’s source in Benin.
They commended voters at the polling units who gave priority and assisted some PWDs to cast their votes during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.
According to the Chairperson of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Edo State, Ms Ann Ojugp, assistive devices should be made available across polling units; both in urban and rural places.
“Magnifying glasses and braille ballot guide should be provided so that persons with low vision and blindness could vote.
“There should also be sign language interpreters at the polling units, and posters for the deaf.
She urged INEC to also provide the EC40H forms at polling units in the forthcoming elections to help record the number of PWDs that would be voting.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Disability Overcomers Society, Edo Staye, Mr Timothy Osemwegie, urged INEC to keep to its promise of having an inclusive election during the March 11 elections.
Osemwegie said, “many persons with physical disabilities could not vote in the last election because of the pavement. They weren’t accessible for wheelchairs.
“When it comes to inclusion of PWDs in the election, we are not yet there”.
The Head of Deaf Cluster, JONAPWD, Edo State, Mr Kingsley Eromosele, said some deaf persons could not locate their polling units during the Feb. 25 election.
Eromosele said some deaf voters complained of inability to locate their polling units. We hope this issue will be addressed before the forthcoming Governorship and House of Assembly election”.