In a move to make upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls accessible for all, the Election Commission (EC) has decided to train all the electoral officers and staff to get adequately trained in sign language and finger spelling alphabet. During the training session, the election officials will be given training in election related sign languages symbols such as 'election', 'voter identity card', 'address', 'polling booth', polling station, political parties, voter slips with photo, voter guides and other things.
Sources in the EC said that the Commission has directed all the electoral officers and staff to get adequately trained in sign language and finger spelling alphabet. The election watchdog has written to all concerned to hire professionals to receive the training and also provided huge posters of sign language and finger spelling alphabet for the differentially abled to be displayed on all election related premises.
According to EC officials, during the training programme session, the election officials will be provided basic knowledge as well as election related sign languages or finger spelling symbols such as 'election', 'voter identity card', 'address', 'polling booth', political parties, electronic voting machines, voter slips with photo, electronic voting machines. Finger-spelling (or dactylology) is the representation of the letters of a writing system and sometimes numeral systems, using only the hands. These manual alphabets (also known as finger alphabets or hand alphabets), have often been used in hearing impaired education, and have subsequently been adopted as a distinct part of a number of sign languages.
In a communiqués' to Chief Electoral Officers of States and Union Territories, the EC said, " It may be seen that September 23, has been declared as International Day of Sign Languages by United Nations. Accordingly, the sign language training sessions may be conducted on any working day in the week which is also the "International Week of Deaf".
The EC also made it clear that the training should be conducted by sign language expert with a suitable experience in the subject. "The idea of this exercise is to acquaint the officials with the issues that concern and the questions that are frequently by such voters," said officials of EC.
"During the session, the election staff will be sensitised on the needs of the persons with hearing impairment. Under the programme, a polling scenario will be recreated to enable the officials and staff better understand what is required of them while dealing with voters with hearing disabilities," said EC officials.
Earlier, the EC has provided training to chief electoral officials and deputy electoral officials of states and union territories wherein the officers were acquainted with basic as well as election related sign languages symbols on last week. Besides, information related to basic etiquette while conversing with persons with disabilities was also shared with the Officials of the Commission and they were sensitised regarding the needs of hearing impaired persons. The training was conducted with the help of the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) to prepare election officials to communicate with voters with hearing disabilities.
For the hearing impaired, the EC had stated that sign language windows will be provided in all audio-visual training and awareness content of the commission. For the visually-challenged electors, the EC had stated that it would be issuing braille voter identity cards.
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