Walls With Symbols, Managed By Persons With Disabilities: Polling Booths This Election

New Delhi: This polling booth is different. Its walls are plastered with pictures of symbols indicating various disabilities–wheelchair, infinity loop, shaded eye. Suvarna Raj gives us a warm tour of the booth. “There were no accessibility features earlier. No ramps, no accessible toilets, no braille. We were hesitant to go to vote,” says Suvarna, a para athlete and a Disability Ambassador at Election Commission of India.

However, this year’s elections are different. The government has ensured that no eligible voter is deprived of their right to vote on account of disabilities.

Also Read: At 33, He Cast His First Vote, Thanks To Home Voting Facility

Team NDTV was at various model booths across India, bringing live coverage of people with disabilities using the facilities to vote comfortably–Prayagraj, Gauriganj, in Uttar Pradesh and Cooch Behar in West Bengal.

The Cooch Behar booth stood out among model booths. This one not only had accessibility facilities, it was also managed by persons with disabilities. Tahir, a voter, said,

“This is what inclusivity looks like. We want to exercise our voting rights like any other person.”

Survarna states that the election commission’s initiative to raise awareness has helped millions of voters with disabilities exercise their voting rights. Sharing her vision, Suvarna says,

“I want every booth to be accessible.”

Also Read: Visually Impaired Man First In Kashmir Valley To Use Election Commission’s Home Voting Facility