Voting accessibility for the handicapped requires accessible polling places in elections – especially presidential ones – for all individuals on wheel chairs yet this was not the case in Cyprus last Sunday.
In fact, individuals on wheel chairs who tried to cast their vote in the island’s presidential elections were confronted with venues with steep ramps or ones at the wrong height and basically inaccessible.
Not to mention that gravel and water puddles covered most yards at schools – where almost all polling booths were based, head of the Cyprus Paraplegics Organisation Demetris Lambrianides told Philenews.
“Some got themselves in danger in their bid to cast a vote, and others chose not to vote at all since they were unable to reach a polling station,” he also said.
The Organisation had received dozens of complaints from people with disabilities who were confronted with enormous problems in their bid to exercise their right to vote.
“Details of persons with disabilities are given in advance to the Ministry of Interior so as to make the necessary arrangements but again, on Sunday, we were confronted with disappointment,” he also said.
