[vicsireland] Re: Voting and the vision impaired!
- From: "Cearbhall E. O Meadhra" <cearbhall.omeadhra@xxxxxx>
- To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 10:47:51 +0100
I think it is a good idea to get a campaign going on the accessibility of
voting machines because the topic is in focus even though we all know they
are not going to be used for the next election.
I suggest that we put together a position paper and then email it to every
local and national radio station in Ireland. We should also forward it to
every sitting TD, Senator and Local Authority councillor in Ireland. We have
these lists so that is not a big problem.
We should also target the news desks of every newspaper and magazine in the
country regardless of persuasion or political focus.
Finally, we should phone talk shows and get a voice in to complain that the
machines are not accessible. In fact to complain that we cannot vote
independently and secretly as guaranteed under the constitution.
This effort will need about 20 of us and cannot be carried out by only one
or two people. The mail-outs will not take much effort but the contacting of
stations and news desks will take time.
If we do any less than this we will not succeed.
There is a very interesting angle that we could take. We should settle our
own opinions about whether we qualify as disabled people under the
Disability Act 2005. I believe we do not as set out in my letter to Minister
frank Fahy and Tánaiste Mary Fahy last year. I have copied it below for your
information.
To: Mr. Frank Fahey, TD, Minister for Disability:
Re: The Undisabled in Ireland created by the amended Disability Bill 2004
The Institute for Design and Disability (IDD) has made a determined effort
to draw your attention, as the Minister for Disability, to the fact that the
Disability Bill 2004, as it is emerging from the Seanad, will still exclude
the many people with disabilities who have the personal capacity to carry on
a profession, business or occupation in the State or to participate in
social or cultural life in the State.
The Institute for Design and Disability is committed to achieving a
Disability Act that will really meet the needs of people with disabilities
and provide an effective legal instrument that will ensure their right to
full and equal participation in Irish society.
IDD, in consultation with the Law Faculty, NUI, Galway, has conducted a
careful analysis of the Bill as follows:
The first problem is that the definition of disability in Part 1 will compel
the Assessment Officer to disqualify many groups of disabled people,
preventing them from participating in a process which is described in the
official guide to the Bill as a positive action measure designed to advance
and underpin participation by people with disabilities in everyday life.
IDD has conducted a careful analysis of the Bill and has concluded that its
narrow definition of disability will create a new sub-class of ?Undisabled
person? for whom there will be no legal protection. For example, blind
persons in full-time employment, living independently and not in need of
continual services are not recognised as disabled persons in the Bill.
IDD strongly recommends that the wording of the definition of disability in
Part 1 be changed to the wording used in the Equal Status Act as follows:
Disability?? means?
(a) The total or partial absence of a person?s bodily or mental
functions,
including the absence of a part of a person?s body,
(b) The presence in the body of organisms causing, or likely to cause,
chronic disease or illness,
(c) The malfunction, malformation or disfigurement of a part of a
person?s
body,
(d) A condition or malfunction, which results in a person learning
differently
from a person without the condition or malfunction, or
(e) A condition, disease or illness, which affects a person?s thought,
processes, perception of reality, emotions or judgement or which results in
disturbed behaviour.
This definition includes those people with disabilities who are excluded
under the existing definition of disability in Part 1 of the Bill.
These measures were not addressed and the Bill was enacted without any
amendment to the definition and so many who are generally recognised in
society as "people with disabilities" must be assessed as not having a
disability under the Act and they are now the new ?Undisabled? as described
in The Undisabled in Ireland (IDD March, 2005).
We still need to exert our influence to have the Dail amend the definition
of disability in the Act by using a more inclusive definition such as the
definition employed in the Equal Status Act of 2000 and 2004 and removing
the definition of ?substantial restriction? in Part 2.
All the best,
Cearbhall
"Good design enables - Bad design disables"
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