Welsh Parliament There are 60 Members of the Senedd (MSs) of the Welsh Parliament. To vote in the Welsh Parliament elections you must:
• be registered to vote • be 16 or over on the day of the election (‘polling day’) • live in Wales • not be legally excluded from voting
MSs are elected using the Additional Member system. You vote once for your constituency MS and once for an MS to represent the wider region.
Wales is in the west of Great Britain and is part of the UK. It has a population of 3 million. The capital city of Wales is Cardiff. People in Wales speak English and many people also speak Welsh which is quite different and older than English. Street signs in Wales are written in both languages. Wales has been politically linked with England since 1542. Wales was an independent country until it was defeated by the English army. Wales has some independence in making its own laws, but it is still very much part of the UK political system.
An estimated 20% of the population are disabled, but only 1.5% of councillors are known to have a disability.
About 600,000 people in Wales have a disability, but very few councils hold data on how many councillors are disabled.
BBC research showed of the 1,254 councillors elected in May, just 19 are known by local authorities to be living with an impairment or long-term health condition.
Equality is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities. Equality is a human right. It prevents discrimination. It’s all about inclusion.
The Equality Act 2010
It was created in 2010. It is comprised of 115 sections, which includes the DDA. Inclusion is a key theme of this Act. It covers the workplace and society.
Example of Unconscious bias in the Workplace
Historically, there has been a gender pay gap. However, this has changed, at least since 2017, according to the gender pay gap factsheet. file:///C:/Users/Daniella%20Lowe/Downloads/Gender-Pension-Gap-Factsheet.pdf. This factsheet shows evidence that people (women in particular) are now encouraged to discuss salaries with each other. This will definitely expose and clamp down on discrimination.
Disability Employment gap still remains high. But there are some improvements to this such as the Access to Work for the Self Employed. This covers disability.
Benefit changes have disadvantaged disabled people.
We expect more action instead of information and promises.
Intersectionality must be focus of progress.
Culture of organisations must be inclusive.
Inclusion cannot be bias – it means all, not our favourite parts.
As an overview, this means that there is still work to be done. Law reinforcement and accountability must take place. Hopefully ten years from now we can expose all inequalities and have disparities resolved.
First of all, you must register to vote, but only once you’re 18 years old or older on the day of the election. In Scotland and Wales you can vote at age 16 or over.
You can register online or by post. However, you cannot vote online in any elections.
Physically challenged voters and wheelchair users can vote in person because all polling stations are wheelchair accessible. They also have the option of voting by post. As a wheelchair user, while living in Bradford as a student, I voted in person. I’ve also voted in person at the St. John’s Anglican church in Ilkley.
Most politicians like to say ‘don’t vote, don’t complain.’
However the disabled community has every right to complain if they’ve asked for reasonable adjustments but get ignored every time.
Voting is about getting your voice heard. Voting is the starting point for political action. It’s about sharing political concerns, expectations and solutions. Disability voting is about tackling and dismantling oppressive systems of injustice. It is also about holding our politicians accountable. Voting should reimagine law enforcement, as well as reinforce disability justice, disability rights and disability advocacy.
The next step after campaigning and voting would be debating disability related issues. Canvassing is about relationship building. Canvassing will most likely highlight voters concerns. It is very difficult to debate sensitive subjects that you are passionate about like Euthanasia, without letting your emotions run high.
During my high school years, I had the privilege of participating in a political group called ‘Youth Parliament Bermuda.’ While on this team, I got a chance to debate various topics in the House of Assembly with other students. http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20070517/NEWS/305179917.
Netflix even has a disability revolution movie entitled, ‘Crip Camp’, which is a documentary about a groundbreaking summer camp which galvanizes a group of teens with disabilities, to help build a movement forging a new path towards greater equality. It also shows great impacts on disability rights and advocacy.
Also, voting and elections is about power. Purple is also associated with royalty. The reason why the colour purple is used to represent disability is because it’s about identity : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-25767082. As a member of the Purple Vote Campaign, this is important to know.
Disability representation is important for inclusion, equality and identity. ‘DISABILITY VOTE MATTERS!’
Voting might be more difficult this year than at any other point in history due to global pandemic and lack of access to voting options. This is why we are raising awareness about voting resources, rights, and the importance of the disability vote. We need everyone involved to make positive change in our communities.
The Legacy International Group has launched The Purple Vote Campaign. This group was started by Sara Flay and Leighton Morris who lead a team of 15 people with various disabilities.
The Purple Vote Campaign was launched in February. This campaign was created to raise awareness about what concerns disabled people and how they can represent their constituents and to ensure that the disabled community have a voice in the democratic process which includes encouraging disabled people to vote in public committees and groups as well as communicating with their local assembly members and MPs. Purple is the colour of disability.
Elections are being held next year. This should see more disabled people in Parliament. This campaign endorses more inclusion in Politics. Welsh Government and Parliament want to champion disability inclusion. It’s about making politics accessible and influencing policy.
They also encourage people to pursue Access to Work. Hopefully this will expand to local and central government positions.
I like and approve of this initiative because it will cause society to reimagine law enforcement and legislation. This will also test how well MPs understand disability. For more information log on to http://www.legacyig.org.
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