– PWDs

PERSONS With Disabilities (PWDs) are calling on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), to make special provisions to help them vote independently in the coming Regional and General Elections.

On Tuesday, representatives of the various PWD groups in Guyana, said that this change must begin with identifying the households of PWDs in house-to-house registration, and continue with the provision of tailored systems.
It has been the practice, for years, for PWDs in Guyana to vote by proxy.
In the case of a visually impaired person, while it may be easier for such an individual to vote, registered volunteer at the National Commission on Disability (NCD), Leroy Phillips, pointed out to the newspaper the injustices which can ensue.
“Many times we go away from polling stations on elections day, feeling that we went in there contributing towards some new government or some new cause, and it’s really not the case because we’re not sure if our family members voted what we wanted in proxy,” he explained.

NCD Commissioner Ganesh Singh added: “As it is right now, someone who is blind is unable to vote independently. We know that that can have some conflict because I, as a blind person, can believe that a person will accompany me to vote for Party A, and that person voted for Party B. There’s no way that I would know if they put the ‘x’ where I instructed them to.”
He went on to add that at the last elections in 2015, the NCD collaborated with the Elections Commission for the provision of a cardboard-like template, which fits the size of the ballot paper and would enable blind persons to vote independently.
However, this did not come to fruition –at least not wide scale—to the dismay of several PWDs, who optimistically turned out on elections day.
“Sadly, those templates were never used because we were informed that they were sent in each ballot box, but that the presiding officers did not know what to do with them,” Singh said.

Giving the same account, President of the Guyana Society for the Blind, Cecil Morris added: “When we asked for them [the template system] it wasn’t there. I would really love to see that implemented, because a lot of us ended up where the Returning Officer had to vote for us and that is not too satisfactory.”

Phillips recommends that GECOM consults with other Caribbean countries to find out their best practices, and adopt a practicable improvement such as braille ballot for the blind.
“We know it will add to the delay of the election, but no problem. If it means ensuring that PWDs will get to vote, by having the elections delayed further, then so be it. Nobody prioritises our voting; nobody thinks our voting makes or could have a great effect on the [choice of a] government of the country,” he expressed.

“I hope when they’re doing house-to-house registration, they’re able to identify each home whether there is a person or persons with disabilities dwelling there, because that will really help.”

Based on the last survey it is believed that there are approximately 49,000 PWDs living in Guyana.

The leaders also want to see persons with physical disabilities, such as wheelchair users, be given special consideration.

“Most buildings in Guyana are inaccessible to wheelchairs and those are the buildings that are used [for elections]. Therefore, persons who are using wheelchairs will have difficulties in getting in to those buildings. So we’re hoping that GECOM can try to find as much buildings as possible, and where possible, have some mobile ramps in place,” Singh said.
They are hoping to soon have a conversation with GECOM to iron out the matter and work out a way forward.

“We’re really calling on GECOM to meet with us before elections, to get those things sorted out sometime before elections, so that we could have all these issues ventilated,” Morris said, adding: “Every citizen is entitled to vote. We’re all citizens of this nation, whether we have a disability or not. Because of that, the franchise is ours to exercise, and we need to exercise it because the Constitution allows for that.”