“Earlier, to cast my vote, people would carry me into the polling station and I would then request them to stamp the ballot paper on my behalf. Today, however, for the first time in many years, I could enter the polling station and cast a vote on my own”, says Amarasena Jayaweera, 63, a person affected with paralysis 13 years ago.

Like Amarasena, many other persons with disabilities who visited the Kumbugoda-ara Buddhist Centre polling station were very happy that they could vote on their own. This was possible thanks to the efforts made by Leonard Cheshire Disability Resource Centre (LCDRC), a organisation working towards an inclusive, barrier-free and rights based environment for people with disabilities in Sri Lanka.

As part of its advocacy initiatives to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities, LCDRC has formed a Young Voices group where young adults with disabilities are made aware of and trained to advocate for their rights.

To ensure that the forthcoming elections in Sri Lanka were accessible to people with disabilities, the group representatives alongwith LCDRC staff met the Hon. Election Commissioner in Colombo. They spoke to him about persons with disabilities right to vote and the barriers they faced in exercising this right. They also discussed with the Commissioner on various accessible measures like electronic voting machines, Braille ballot papers, temporary ramps in polling stations etc. which would enable persons with disabilities to vote freely.

Following the discussion, the Commissioner requested LCDRC to submit a proposal for accessibility in selected polling stations in North Central Province and Sabaragamuwa provincial council. He further mentioned that he would take up this issue with the heads of various political parties in Sri Lanka in a forthcoming meeting.

Later, LCDRC team led by Mr. Jeevan Koditthuwakku, Programme Manager, met the Senior Assistant Election Commissioner for Rathnapura district and zeroed down on four polling stations where accessibility could be promoted. Of the four, Kumbugoda-ara Buddhist Centre was finally selected to be made into a model accessible polling station.

An access audit was conducted at the polling station on 18th and 19th August 2008 by LCDRC staff with support from the representatives of the Young Voices group. From the audit, it emerged that three temporary ramps were needed to make the venue accessible for people with disabilities. Local resources were mobilised by LCDRC to construct the ramps. Also, the height of the polling table was reduced, so that, people using wheelchairs could comfortably cast their vote.

The whole work was completed in 3 days as there wasn't enough time. On 23rd August, 2008, around 2800 people casted their votes at the polling station, of which, 37 were people with disabilities who had cast their votes for the first time without facing any barriers.

Narrating his experience of using the model accessible polling station, Ramanayaka, 42, a crutch-user said “I'm very happy that LCDRC is promoting accessibility for all. It is now easy to enter the polling station. This initiative is not only beneficial for persons with disabilities but also others like the elderly, pregnant women, wounded army soldiers etc“. S.W Piyasiri, a police sergeant providing security at the polling station said “I have been with the police department for 29 years and have given security at the polling stations around 15 times. This is the first time that I have seen an accessible station in my life. We used to carry persons with disabilities into the polling station and out. But, now they have entered into the polling station on their own without any help. I highly appreciate this work. This will be an eye opener for the government and they will replicate the same in other areas also in the forthcoming elections."

Through this initiative, LCDRC has showed that it is possible to respect people with disabilities right to vote, right to accessibility and right to privacy by making small changes.

Contributed by
U.L. Ali Zakky
Manager - Advocacy & Campaigning
LCDRC, Sri Lanka