Election accessibility - Polling booth template required, PSLeci.nic.in, accessible form 7A etc

[Vaishnavi Jayakumar (Inclusive India)]

Please refer the attached document before reading the following.

Dear Built Environment group

As election after election proves, even in polling booths with ramps, accessibility is being compromised by

1. improper layout of polling station furniture for wheelchair passage
2. Insufficient space for wheelchair user behind EVM table, 
3. locomotor disabled voters told not to lean on table or lean crutch against it
4. balloting unit feet not unfolded so lack of slope causing wheelchair users difficulty in seeing and reaching extremes
5. No consistent tactile sticker placement for numbering linked EVMs if number of candidates exceed 15 in a constituency etc

A diagram and outline for this use case scenario would be required.

Dear ICT group,

1. PSLECI.nic.in needs to be restored with information on boothwise assured minimum facilities (AMF), and booth lists rationalised till accessibility status is achieved.
2. Accessible Form 7A solution has to be provided to enable independent voting by blind non-Braille users as well.
3. State CEO websites need to be based on a S3WaaS template instead of the current cowboy approach to websites and apps based on each official's whims. 
4. Mobile Apps must only augment what's there as a web app.
5. CAPTCHAs etc

Dear Products group,

Given that we cannot control heights of school / govt office tables used in polling booths, perhaps a reusable collapsible (slotted) stand for the balloting unit similar to the standardised voting compartment plastic board  could be designed which could solve many accessibility issues for wheelchair users.

---------------------------------------

VAISHNAVI JAYAKUMAR 

http://about.me/vjayakumar