Cross River Presents Election Materials to the Blind.

Cross River Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Sylvester Okey-Ezeani has presented election material items to the visually impaired persons in the State.

The Items presented was in line with the Abuja demand by the people living with Disabilities to the Electoral umpire in November 2014 and Cross River State is the first to give such materials out to the Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs).

Items Given includes 100 copies of Accreditation/Voting Procedure manual, 13 Frequently asked questions brochures, 140 wrong and Right Voting Guides,100 copies of Voting Offences and Penalty and 142 Copies of General Election Dates among others.

Speaking during the presentations at INEC Office, Calabar, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner said it was part of the promise made by the Chairman in ensuring that People Living with disabilities were giving adequate informations and guide before and during the polls.

"It is the commission desire that you make adequate use of these materials as part of the effort of INEC to give the people with visually impaired persons to have sense of belonging on the electoral processes "he said.

Dr Joseph Agba, Cross River State President of visually Impaired ?Person who was full of appreciation to the commission said in the past, INEC have not consider their plight just as he said many other government Organisations and agencies does not put the interest of the visually impaired persons into congnisance in particular and People living with the Disability in General in all their activities.

"This is the first time any public office will be distributing materials like this and it's a good development, many people organized workshops and ?seminars without considering the plight of the visually impaired.
"I'm going to give this information directly including students in the university ?"he said.

The stakeholders meeting facilitated by Human and
Organisational Resources Development Centre (HORDC) in partnership with Disability Policy and Advocacy Initiative (DPAI)had in November 2014 requested ?for blind and partially sighted persons from INEC, election/voting materials (ballot papers) produced in Braille or tactile formats; blind and partially sighted persons are allowed to come with a person of their choice to assist them; electoral officials are properly trained to provide necessary assistance
to blind and partially sighted persons among others.