Leading charities such as Mencap and Sense, and political figures, including the Mayor of Greater Manchester, have co-signed a letter from, calling on the government to guarantee accessible voting for people with disabilities and autism.
The signatories of the letter have pledged to help to promote the availability of voting materials in accessible formats, listen to feedback from disabled voters and be allies and champion the right to vote for all disabled and autistic people.
They are also calling on organisations and individuals to ensure Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) is upheld. The UNCRPD states that there is an obligation to ensure that voting procedures, facilities and materials are appropriate, accessible and easy to understand, and use.
There are approximately 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. But a survey conducted by United Response in 2021 found that only two thirds of people knew that people with learning disabilities have a legal right to vote.
In the same year a Dimensions survey found that 80% of people felt that polling stations weren’t accessible for people with a learning disability and 61% reported that polling station staff did not always make legally entitled reasonable adjustments.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) also expressed serious concerns that the Elections Bill will fail to protect blind and partially sighted people’s right to vote independently and in secret.
In related news, people who are blind, deaf or have a learning disability are increasingly being failed by health services that aren’t meeting their communication needs, new research shows.
Photo by Elliott Stallion
Leave a Reply