Jordan Times
Friday, November 16, 2007
PWDs to have better voting experience - Prince Raad
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN - The Kingdom has undertaken a new set of measures to enable people with
disabilities (PWDs) to exercise their constitutional right to vote in Tuesday’s
parliamentary elections in a dignified manner.
Authorities have promised a new experience, unlike the July municipal elections
where many disabled voters were faced with inadequate facilities.
HRH Prince Raad, president of the Higher Council for the Affairs of People with
Disabilities, said steps have been taken to remedy the shortfalls witnessed in
the municipal polls.
“I visited some of the polling stations and I believe the Ministry of Interior
and all those in charge are making a serious effort to make sure the voting
centres are ready to receive people with disabilities,” Prince Raad, told The
Jordan Times on Thursday.
“The move was not only important for follow-up, but to impress upon and remind
bystanders of the right of PWDs to vote,” he added.
Prince Raad has personally checked several of the polling stations that have
been designated for PWDs over the past few days.
In total, 240 voting centres have been designated for PWDs, which include ramps
for wheelchair users, low level polling booths, as well as assistance for
visually impaired and deaf persons.
Prince Raad said Jordanians with all forms of disabilities have the right to
take part in the political process and carry out the exercise in a dignified
manner.
This includes being able to easily access the polling centres and personally
cast their votes, he said.
For the largely marginalised and vulnerable community of disabled Jordanians
across the country, the upcoming elections constitute a platform from which many
seek to make their voices heard.
Several disabled voters who plan to cast their votes next week said it was a
fundamental right, stressing, however, that they should be able to exercise that
right with integrity.
Aida Shishani, 50, who is wheelchair-bound ever since a car 20 years ago, said
she plans to vote in next week’s elections but only if the process is
facilitated.
Shishani, a retired Ministry of Labour employee, told The Jordan Times she
refused to cast her ballot at the municipal elections when she discovered that
it was not accessible as she was told.
“I arrived at the voting centre, there was no ramp, and inside I was told I
would be carried up the stairs. I refused and went home,” said Shishani, who now
volunteers as a 4th grade English teacher.
Although disappointed at the time over broken promises that the centres would be
conducive to their needs, Shishani said she is more hopeful this time.
“I believe it will be different this time,” said Shishani. “There’s a more
structured effort to ensure that the required facilities are in place to allow
us to vote,” she added.
Tamer, another disabled citizen and a recent university graduate, expressed
similar sentiments about Tuesday’s parliamentary elections. Although he did not
vote in July’s municipal polls, some of his colleagues recounted their stories
of disappointment and frustration with the services.
“I feel fortunate and relieved that I didn’t have to go through what some of my
friends did, and I’m sure the authorities in charge are going to make sure it is
different this time,” said Tamer.
“Spending one’s life in a wheelchair is hard enough as it is and it is time that
our society steps up to the plate and makes sure the environment is accessible
and inclusive,” he added.
Jordan, which has been working hard to push the rights of PWDs to the forefront
of the national agenda through ongoing public awareness, achieved a breakthrough
this year with a new law guaranteeing the rights of disabled people.
The 2007 Law for Rights of People with Disabilities No.31 tackles various
issues, including engagement and integration in public life as well as their
opportunities for employment, education, healthcare and rehabilitation.
A 21-member commission, comprising representatives from 13 governmental bodies
and eight organisations dealing with disabled persons, provided the main
umbrella for all citizens and organisations dealing with disability issues.
The commission will work on formulating policies, programmes and projects, as
well as assess, evaluate and coordinate all issues related to the disabled.
Prince Raad regarded the new law as a powerful force that will instigate the
needed change.
“I believe with utmost certainty that the legal measures we’ve so far taken will
go a long way in creating a salubrious environment that would see and promote
the equalisation of opportunity for all,” said the Prince.
He added that these measures would also foster “social justice, enhance
individual respect and instigate programmes of inclusion and integration” within
Jordanian society.
Yousef Zayed, a resident of Hay Nazzal who has been wheelchair-bound for 17
years after he fell and broke his hip, said he desperately wants to vote but
will only be able to do so if he finds someone to take him there.
The 46-year-old, who was discharged from the army following his and relies on a
JD90 monthly pension and JD35 from the National Aid Fund, told The Jordan Times
he has no family.
“I love life, I love people and would love to work and live my life as I did
before, but unfortunately I don’t have that chance,” said Zayed.
“I spent the past 17 years of my life in bed, relying on charitable neighbours
and friends to help me out from time to time or take me to the mosque. It is the
highlight of my day,” he added.
An optimist at heart, Zayed said he has accepted his fate but he hopes to see
the day that candidates will take on the causes and rights of PWDs. The elderly
Jordanian said these issues are absent from candidates’ agendas.
Prince Raad said he wishes he had seen more slogans advocating for disabled
people’s rights.
Acknowledging this fact, he said the Higher Council for the Affairs of People
with Disabilities, formed two months ago, did not have sufficient time to raise
candidates’ awareness on these issue, adding that such plans will be carried out
in the future.