Lack of access to braille education and few visually impaired people being able to read and write using braille, remains the main challenge for this minority group to fully participate in general elections without assistance.
Independent Electoral Commission Chief Public Relations officer, revealed this during a media training workshop held in Francistown on Wednesday.
“As the Commission we have tried to incorporate and cater for people with disabilities. For the visually impaired we have the ballot paper in braille, but the main challenge in Botswana is that we have few visually impaired people who can read or write using braille. So we still have more of them being assisted to vote during general elections,” said Osupile Maroba.
“For those who are conversant with braille, they are able to mark the ballot paper’s choice of their candidate without the assistance of a relative or a presiding officer. They are only assisted to the ballot box to cast their vote,” continued Maroba.
For those with speech and hearing impairment, IEC spokesperson said there is still a challenge to cater for them as there is need to have personnel who have been trained in sign language.
“First and foremost we have very few election officers who know sign language, secondly in our consultation we established that sign language differs from country to country and because of these, as the Independent Electoral Commission, we are yet to cater for this group. However, for those on wheelchairs our polling stations are accessible, have ramps for easy access for people of all physical disabilities,” continued Maroba.
He said the Commission did at one time engage sign language personnel, but due to the difference in the language there has not been any progress. “During the voter registration exercise, the forms had slots for voters to indicate the kind of disabilities they have. We have all that data and we are using it to ensure we know where to provide temporary ramps were needed, particularly in our open space polling stations. So arrangements have been made so people with using wheel chairs, crutches and walking aides do not face any problem in accessing polling stations,” said IEC spokesperson.
However, for the elderly, sick, nursing mothers and expectant women Maroba said the law is silent on this group with special needs.
“What we are trying to implement is the concept of botho, which people being the voters can or cannot accept and because we are dealing with a very difficult generation which can refuse for an elderly to be given first preference. As a presiding officer there isx nothing you can do. Your hands are tied and you back off due to those dissenting voices,” explained Maroba.
“Because if enforce that botho concept, you are likely to disturb the tranquility at the polling station. So these are the areas which need to legislated when the electoral law is amended, so there are two queues at polling stations to cater for people with special needs.”
