With the general election looming, it’s not just got me thinking just how accessible will the polling stations be for voting.
Especially when yet again a national event was staged without the use of accessible information including BSL and captions, though Downing Street had previously pledged to have British Sign Language(BSL) interpreters on hand for big announcements from spring 2024.
There are over 14 million disabled people in the UK, making up a fifth of the population”, and “we are not a one size fits all group: we have different impairments. It would be naive to think that everyone is being catered for.
Issues with access doesn’t just come down to whether or not you can access a building – whilst researching I read a story of someone assisting a mobility-impaired voter across a road and up a flight of stairs to their local polling station, where they were denied their right to vote on the grounds that, by being assisted, their vote was being ‘influenced’.
Full disclosure I haven’t used a polling station in years because it was becoming increasingly harder to gain access, also having Muscular Dystrophy a progressive muscle wasting condition, the strength in my arms was decreasing. Meaning that placing my vote without assistance was going to be harder. However, even the Information on postal voting can also be hard to prise out of councils in accessible formats. Not to mention if your signature doesn’t continuously match, you will also be declined unless you fill out paperwork to declare that your signature will never match  because of a disability. Then there’s the introduction of voter ID, which is likely to create yet more barriers.
As the election process move on, the Disabled community are looking to watch the party manifestos.. The real question is will it be made accessible or inclusive, not only for the deaf community, but for people with learning disabilities, sight loss and those with autism. Previously, this has been ignored or overlooked, and in some cases, alternative versions have been published too late, prior to voting.
Published by disability rights UK, “Dan White the policy and campaigns officer at Disability Rights UK said: “The need for parties to run more inclusive campaigns, goes without saying. It is unacceptable that Disabled people are excluded from a process that has such significant implications for our future. Voting is a democratic right for all, and not giving all citizens information in formats that we can access, is breaking the law and preventing our participation”.
As a disabled person I have always been very vocal on just how difficult it is to be heard, Particularly when it comes to the truly important issues we face in our everyday lives. As an example life costs more if you’re disabled. On average disabled people need an extra £975 a month to have the same standard of living as a non-disabled person.
Surly politicians should be seeking our votes, with genuine understanding and the want to collaborate with disabled people as we fight, as always, for genuine equality and inclusion.
in my opinion, Right now it’s just strikes me the Government we have is so far out of touch and the most self-interested and obscenely privileged in generations.
Disabled People Must Have the Capacity and Freedom to Vote’
Until next time
K
Kerry Thompson - My Life, Kerry's Way. 