Conference debates access to voting, hate crime and BSL

A busy morning at UNISON’s disabled members’ conference continued with a debate on access to voting. Alvin Chambers of Newcastle City told delegates that “all voters have the right to vote independently and in secret … I know this, because the Electoral Commission says so on the website”. But as he went on to explain: “Good luck getting into the voting station if you’re in a wheelchair and, if you do get in, the polling booth probably won’t be accessible to you. “What if you’re blind and there’s no braille ballot paper?” In that case, the clerk at the polling station will probably read you a list of candidates and then put a cross where you tell them. As Mr Chambers noted, the cross will almost certainly be put against the name you say, “but it’s hardly secret”. Iain Scott-Burdon, on behalf of the deaf caucus, pointed out the problems that deaf voters face to voting – “for instance, hustings … are interpreters provided? They’re not”. And if a candidate knocks on your door, Mr Scott-Burdon said that he wouldn’t be able to have a conversation. “It’s time for access for everybody.” Delegates also raised concerns about the trials, earlier this year, of photo ID being required in order to vote. In an impassioned debate on recognising disability hate crime, conference was reminded of Lee Irving, a young disabled man in Newcastle, who was abused and murdered by a group of ‘friends’ in the city in 2015. In court, his family, the pol...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Article News disability hate crime disabled members national disabled members' conference 2018 Source Type: news