Ensure access for voters with disabilities

Speakers at an event yesterday urged the Election Commission to take immediate steps to ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities in the upcoming national election.

They stressed the need for clear and uniform rules on providing assistance to voters with disabilities, and ensuring consistent enforcement of these rules across polling stations.

The speakers said election- and referendum-related information, along with voter education materials, must be made accessible and inclusive so that voters with disabilities can participate on an equal footing.

The recommendations were made at the launch of a policy analysis report titled “Policy Gap Analysis of Electoral Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities,” organised by B-Scan at Jatiya Press Club.

B-Scan spokesperson and director Iftekhar Mahmud said Bangladesh ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities more than a decade ago, but the commitments have yet to be fully reflected in the country’s constitutional and electoral framework.

He said, despite the increasingly limited timeframe, necessary steps could still be taken to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities before the February 12 election.

Presenting the policy analysis, disability specialist and lead author Nusrat Jarin said several government laws reflect a lack of recognition of human diversity by portraying persons with disabilities as incapable.

She said the participation of voters with disabilities is often treated as optional and called for legal mechanisms to make such participation mandatory.

The analysis noted that while some formal legal provisions exist, additional reforms are needed to clearly recognise persons with disabilities as rights-holders in political and electoral processes.

The report outlined medium- and long-term reform proposals, including amending the Representation of the People Order 1972 to align it with the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act and Article 29 of the UN Convention.

It recommended incorporating accessibility standards into all electoral rules and regulations and ensuring regular data collection and monitoring to strengthen accountability.

Lucky Akter, executive director of Dhaka DPO-D, said the EC holds the key to organising an inclusive election and that several steps could still be taken before the polls to improve inclusion.

Bappi Sarkar, a young freelancer and associate coordinator of B-Scan, said the government has yet to establish clear procedures regarding assistants for voters with severe disabilities, which could create complications at polling centres.

The report placed particular emphasis on targeted voter information and education materials, improvements to polling-day infrastructure, clear guidelines on assisted voting procedures, and better transport services for voters with disabilities.