Visually impaired to get training to cast votes independently

In a large measurement towards empowering visually impaired voters, the Department of Social Justice and the Kerala Federation of the Blind (KFB) person joined hands to assistance them formed their votes independently, without relying connected proxy voting service.

Under the initiative, technological grooming is being offered to visually impaired voters connected utilizing physics voting machines (EVMs), supported by a squad of 30 volunteers who precocious completed their grooming successful Kozhikode city.

“It was the visually challenged voters nether KFB who sought ceremonial training. Many of them are highly educated and privation to workout their voting rights independently astatine polling stations,” District Social Justice Officer Anju Mohan said, adding that the exclusive programme is besides backed by the Kerala State Social Security Mission.

According to the trainers’ team, KFB members stay progressive connected assorted instant messaging platforms specified arsenic WhatsApp and Instagram, which volition assistance them behaviour their ain online grooming sessions successful the days to travel for their visually challenged friends. The archetypal circular of maestro grooming held connected November 19 has already inspired galore members to hole and circulate dependable messages to grow the scope of the programme.

“In Kozhikode territory alone, we person 375 members who are acceptable to acquisition virtual grooming sessions. All of them usage smartphones with dependable assistance, making it casual to travel the lessons and articulation unrecorded demonstrations if they request clarifications,” said S. Noushad, territory president, KFB. He added that being capable to ballot independently successful the upcoming section assemblage elections would beryllium a arrogant infinitesimal for galore visually impaired citizens.  

While EVM’s presently see braille markings to usher visually impaired voters, immoderate KFB members person demanded further features, particularly an enactment to place candidates’ names successful an casual way. At present, the machines connection lone a beep dependable to corroborate that a ballot has been cast, they pointed out.

Mr. Noushad said the request had not yet been formally presented to the predetermination authorities, arsenic discussions connected the feasibility of specified customisation for otherwise abled voters are yet to instrumentality place, with the earlier absorption connected proxy voting service. He added that helium hopes aboriginal voting machines volition beryllium designed to code the peculiar needs of visually impaired radical crossed the country.