LPHU’s struggle to make polling stations accessible

SUCCESS STORY: Persons with disabilities are citizens too! LPHU’s struggle to make polling stations accessible
Based on an interview with Sylvana Lakkis, LPHU, May 2010

The right to vote is universal in Lebanon. Yet the best of intentions rarely extend to the most vulnerable citizens among which those with disabilities.
One of the corner stones of civic rights namely voting is generally considered by citizens with disabilities in Lebanon as a hurdle or stumbling block because of inaccessibility of polling stations. “Polling stations must be accessible to enable citizens with a disability to enjoy their rights in dignity and independence” maintained Sylvana Lakkis, LPHU’s General Director. She adds “the exclusion of persons with disabilities from the decision making process contributes to their increased marginalization”. Indeed accessibility of polling stations will facilitate the voting process for persons with disabilities as well as encourage them to run for elections.
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What is a disability?
Disability is not a fixed “state” but a process which limits a persons’ full participation to society. It is a relative “situation” which varies according to the context and the environment, but which can also be modified by reducing impairment (medical condition) and developing capabilities (rehabilitation) as well as adapting the environment (policies, elimination of physical obstacles).
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The campaign “Haqqi” (“My Right”) started back in 2005 and was led by the Lebanese Physically Handicapped Union (LPHU); the Youth Association for the Blind (YAB); Our Voice, an organization for self advocacy and organization for people with mental and learning disabilities; and the Parents Association for the Deaf.
The campaign is an ongoing initiative in LPHU- main outcome has been the issuance of a decree on May 13, 2009, from the Ministry of Interior – in line with Law 220/2000, which outlines the rights of persons with a disability –to ensure “accessibility for people with special needs during the voting process.” The decree particularly included specific criteria that polling stations should meet in order to be accessible to persons with disabilities. Even if this decree could not be fully implemented during the last elections (as most public schools are not accessible yet) Sylvana Lakkis sees in it and in the Ministry’s cooperation a true “accomplishment” as it has “initiated a deep awareness in the general public and among the public authorities on the issue of the rights of persons with disabilities”.
But on its own this decree is not enough. Public schools still need to be made accessible for persons with disabilities. “Our aim is inclusion of all in the society” explains Lakkis, she adds “The first line of the national anthem is, ‘All of us are for the country.’ If we switch this around, it is, ‘The country is for all of us.’”
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Accessibility checklist for polling stations
• Parking lots;
• Accessible entrances and corridors;
• Wheelchair ramps;
• Elevators;
• Accessible toilets;
• Voting halls big enough to install curtained booths to ensure privacy.