Election Commission to develop Braille ID cards for visually challenged voters

The Election Commission (EC) will provide Braille photo ID cards to visually challenged voters across the country, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) OP Rawat said here on 5 July as he handed out token Braille ID cards to two persons at an event in New Delhi. [caption id=“attachment_4668621” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”] Representational image.[/caption] The photo voter slips would also be made in accessible formats for them, he said. Addressing the concluding session of a two-day event on inclusive elections, Rawat also announced that the Commission has decided to establish auxiliary polling stations for persons with disabilities during elections. He said Disability Coordinators would be appointed at the levels of Assembly constituencies, districts and states. He said a mobile app would be developed in-house for the persons with disabilities to facilitate them participate fully in the election processes. He said that they would be permitted to avail of public transport for free along with their attendants on the day of polling. For hearing impaired voters, sign language windows will be established in all audio-visual training and awareness contents of the commission. Rawat announced that a new unit called Accessible Division would be established in the ECI-run International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Management in Delhi. Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said that technology has the capability to fill the gaps and it shall be explored to its fullest potential.