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My Vote My Voice
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We are supporting the campaign to make elections accessible and inclusive for autistic people and people with a learning disability.
Self-advocates Shui-ming Man and Shalim Ali who are members of Choice Support’s Our Rights Group, attended an event in Parliament this month as members of the My Vote My Voice campaign.
Community Engagement Officer, Marta Styk, from the Public Engagement Network also attended to support them.
The purpose of the event was to gain insight and advice on how voting can be made accessible. It was attended by people with lived experience and organisations from across the UK.
“I’ve been pushing for accessible voting for a long time now, and I have been doing it on my own”, Shui-ming said. “But now that Choice Support is on board with My Vote My Voice, it’s given me a bigger platform and allowed me to work as part of a team to push for accessible voting and Easy Reads moving forward.”
The Campaign
The event was part of the wider My Vote My Voice campaign which aims to make elections – and our wider politics – more accessible.
It proposes to achieve this through measures such as jargon-free polling cards and Easy Read manifestos and campaign materials.
Campaigners also want to ensure that disabled voters are not overlooked and disenfranchised as most of the Election Act’s reforms come into effect this year.
The campaign is a UK-wide coalition of disability advocates and is organised by United Response, Dimensions, Mencap, and Ambitious about Autism.
Being heard in Parliament
At Portcullis House, disabled and autistic people led a discussion with MPs and panellists about how accessible voting can be made a reality.
Shui-ming and Shalim contributed to the event with questions and comments for the panel.
Participants were invited to write down what they would like to see change on cards to be submitted to campaign organisers.
A range of topics were raised, including registering to vote, accessibility for wheelchair users at polling stations and how British Sign Language (BSL) can be included in politics.
Advocacy Lead, Dr Mark Brookes MBE, spoke of the importance of people with a learning disability and autistic people having a vote and a voice at the next election. Vicky Foxcroft MP for Lewisham, Deptford raising concerns about inaccessibility for young people and first-time voters, whilst Mencap gave a talk on accessible language and Easy Reads.
Where you can learn more
For further information, please visit the My Vote My Voice website, where you can also find a step-by-step guide to voting.
You can also learn more about the campaign in this blog by Ismail Kaji, Mencap Parliamentary and Government Engagement Officer.
And to keep up-to-date with the campaign, follow the hashtag #MyVoteMyVoice on Twitter.
PEN Advisory Group
The Public Engagement Network invites autistic people and people with learning disabilities to join our Advisory Group
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