The Sri Lankan Election Commission has been taking a series of initiatives in promoting inclusive elections by extending accessible facilities for persons with disability and other vulnerable groups for the last decade. For example, in selected polling divisions they carried out a survey on the needs of electors with disabilities on identifying the barriers faced by electors when they come to exercise their franchise. As a result of this study Island, wide initiatives were taken to improve the accessibility of those electors in the polling centres. The polling centres were equipped with temporary ramps etc. Discussions are going on to simplify the process in the voting system. As another initiative, the Department of elections printed their leaflets in accessible formats. Ms. Manique Gunaratne of The Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, Specialised Training & Disability Resource Centre handed over the leaflets printed in Braille in April 2022 to the Department of Elections to be distributed among vision impaired persons in all corners of Sri Lanka.
MANIQUE GUNARATNE
Vice President – Sri Lanka Foundation for Rehabilitation of the Disabled
