by Su Sayer, head of United ResponseLess than a month into 2010, the news pages of the nationals are already filling up with manifesto announcements, as political parties gear up to do battle at the polls in a few months. But before election fatigue sets in, take a moment to wonder how it would feel not to have the opportunity to vote and register your opinion this year.
For most of the one million people with learning
disabilities in
England, that was the reality at the general election in 2005. While
most people with learning disabilities have the same right to vote as
everyone else, very few actually did so.
Through the Every Vote Counts project - a partnership between United Response and the Electoral Commission - we have spent the past three years trying to understand why people with learning disabilities feel excluded from the democratic process and what we can do about it.
We found that while many people with learning disabilities are clearly interested in the decisions that politicians make, many feel alienated by a system that does not understand how to engage with them. One woman told us: "Even people without learning disabilities find it hard to understand politics. Politicians just speak jargon and don't get to the point. When they make political broadcasts they don't use clear language that we can understand. They don't involve us."
Others expressed a lack of awareness about their right to vote. For one 60-year-old woman for example, 2010 will be the first time she has voted, having spent her whole life believing that she wouldn't be allowed to vote, after her mother told her that voting "wasn't for her".
This reflects the worrying and widespread assumption that most people with learning disabilities have neither the capacity nor the right to vote.
In fact, we believe that most do and it's high time we challenged these assumptions, encouraged more people with learning disabilities to vote, and urged our politicians to communicate in a more accessible way.
With a general election just months away, we must ensure that history does not repeat itself and that people with learning disabilities are given the support they need to make 2010 the most inclusive election so far. As another participant put it: "If people with disabilities all vote, we will be heard. The more we get our voices heard the more people will respect us." This is surely one cause we can all agree on.
Su Sayer is chief executive at United Response
More about the Every Vote Counts campaign
Through the Every Vote Counts project - a partnership between United Response and the Electoral Commission - we have spent the past three years trying to understand why people with learning disabilities feel excluded from the democratic process and what we can do about it.
We found that while many people with learning disabilities are clearly interested in the decisions that politicians make, many feel alienated by a system that does not understand how to engage with them. One woman told us: "Even people without learning disabilities find it hard to understand politics. Politicians just speak jargon and don't get to the point. When they make political broadcasts they don't use clear language that we can understand. They don't involve us."
Others expressed a lack of awareness about their right to vote. For one 60-year-old woman for example, 2010 will be the first time she has voted, having spent her whole life believing that she wouldn't be allowed to vote, after her mother told her that voting "wasn't for her".
This reflects the worrying and widespread assumption that most people with learning disabilities have neither the capacity nor the right to vote.
In fact, we believe that most do and it's high time we challenged these assumptions, encouraged more people with learning disabilities to vote, and urged our politicians to communicate in a more accessible way.
With a general election just months away, we must ensure that history does not repeat itself and that people with learning disabilities are given the support they need to make 2010 the most inclusive election so far. As another participant put it: "If people with disabilities all vote, we will be heard. The more we get our voices heard the more people will respect us." This is surely one cause we can all agree on.
Su Sayer is chief executive at United Response
More about the Every Vote Counts campaign
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