PANAJI: The state spared no efforts to ensure that persons with disabilities received support to cast their votes.
At the eight booths managed entirely by persons with various disabilities, permanent accessible features have been introduced. Wide-doored accessible toilets with low-level sinks and permanent ramps built especially for these elections are now here to stay and will benefit the children and other persons with disabilities, including elderly visiting these schools and public buildings.
The eight PwD booths which now have permanent accessible features are Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, Pharmacy College, Panaji, MES College, Vasco, among others in Mapusa, Ponda and Bicholim.
For the first-time, accessible e-rickshaws were roped in to pick up and drop wheelchair users, nodal officer for persons with disabilities Sudesh Gaude told TOI.
The polling staff handling the PwD booths were also provided with pick-up and drops in accessible buses, said Patrick D'Souza who was a polling officer at the PwD booth, No 22 at ADEI North Zone office, Mapusa.
"I slept on the floor at the polling station at a previous election, but since I'm dependent on my wheelchair, I requested for a bed this time and I'm grateful that one was immediately provided," he said.
A state icon and wheelchair user, however, told TOI that she was not given the opportunity to vote from home via postal ballot. She asked for an accessible e-rickshaw and voted. "The experience was good, except that I had to wait for an hour for the e-rickshaw," she told TOI.
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