The number of voters with disabilities grew by 71% in São José do Rio Preto (SP) between the 2022 and 2026 elections. The city went from 2,284 people with this condition four years ago to 3,911 this year, according to the Electoral Court, which is preparing accessibility resources to facilitate voting in the October elections.
Among the measures are tools for voters with visual and hearing impairments, identification of votes in the electronic ballot box and free transport for people with mobility difficulties.
Despite advances, people with disabilities still face barriers to fully participating in society, including when voting.
Wheeled basketball athlete and coach Paulo Jatobá lives with accessibility difficulties every day and has fought for public policies aimed at inclusion for decades.
"We want different things, which are more about action, such as public policies, in relation to health, education, sport, everything. We still fight for accessibility", says Jatobá, in an interview with TV TEM.
To meet the increase in demand, the Electoral Court prepares teams and maintains resources already used in previous elections, in addition to implementing new features.
According to the head of the electoral registry, Régis Pistori, from Rio Preto, visually impaired voters who are registered in the system will have access to an audio feature in the electronic voting machine.
As soon as the poll worker enters the voter's electoral registration number or CPF, the system will enable a headset so that the voting options can be heard.
The measure allows blind or visually impaired people to follow the options presented at the ballot box and vote with more autonomy.
Voters who use Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) will also be able to count on the assistance of an interpreter to facilitate communication during voting.
Another new feature planned for this year's elections is a card that will indicate each of the six votes that the voter must register.
The objective is to facilitate understanding of the voting sequence and help people with disabilities exercise their right to vote with more autonomy and safety.
In addition to the resources available at polling stations, another new feature is the Seu Voto Importa program, which will offer transportation to voters with mobility problems.
The initiative seeks to facilitate travel to the polling place and return home.
For Marcelo Lavezo, lawyer and president of the Commission on the Law of Persons with Disabilities of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) in Rio Preto, ensuring accessibility goes beyond preparing the structure of voting stations.
"It's not just about worrying about where to vote. But it's about ensuring that people with disabilities get there, to vote, and return to their home, and exercise their right to vote with dignity", he states.
Despite measures to increase accessibility in the electoral process, people with disabilities still face obstacles in different areas of daily life.
Retired Maria das Graças Aristóteles Gonçalves, who attends the Instituto dos Cegos and takes guitar lessons, argues that inclusion needs to guarantee effective participation, and not just the presence of people in spaces.
"Inclusion is not inviting you to the party, it is inviting you to dance at the party, participate in the party. Because we don't go to a party just to eat, right? We go to talk to friends, to interact", he states.
For musician and teacher Nei Cândido dos Santos, education from childhood is essential to combat prejudice and promote a more inclusive society.
"Since we were little, we've had an article about disabilities, for this inclusion to really happen. We have to talk about it, put out a booklet for children to understand their different friend", he says.
According to him, working on the topic from the first years of school is important to develop respect for differences and expand the participation of people with disabilities in society.
