[News] Polling day is dehumanising, says blind voter

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Voting in a general election is "dehumanising" due to a lack of accessibility, says a visually impaired voter. Elin Williams, 27, was diagnosed with degenerative eye condition retinitis pigmentosa when she was just six. As a result, she has not once been able to independently cast her vote at any election or referendum. The Electoral Commission, which sets the rules for how elections are run, said "everyone should have the right to vote independently and in secret".Ms Williams, from Colwyn Bay in Conwy county, said that on her first - and last - visit to a polling station there was "no understanding of accessibility" and she had to bring someone with her to mark the box. She now votes by post, but still needs someone else to fill out her postal vote. "It makes me feel like disabled people's vote isn't important, like my right to vote independently and secretly isn't respected," she said. "It can be a bit dehumanising to be honest." In addition to just voting, Ms Williams said there are barriers to most aspects of the general election, including even deciding who to vote for. "[Party manifestos] often aren't produced in accessible formats, so we aren't even provided with the information we need to be able to confidently place our vote. "It definitely goes beyond the election as well, accessibility is a huge barrier day to day for disabled people in so many different ways.Dan Thomas, 37, from Cardiff, who is visually impaired to the point he “can only see light”, said he too has never been able to vote independently. “We do not have the right to a private and independent vote," he said. “We have to rely on others, someone like a family member, my mother will probably come with me this year. “Or, as happened with me during the Brexit referendum, polling station staff - so complete strangers."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cekk4j3l1lvo