The Cambodian Disabled People’s Organisation yesterday called on the National Election Committee to make the registration and voting process “easier” for the disabled.

“The NEC should consider amending some initiatives that discriminate against the disabled to make sure that they can [vote in] the election easily, like including Braille letters for the blind,” the NGO’s executive director Ngin Saorath said at a national conference held by the NGO yesterday, adding that the agency should also release comprehensive data on the number of disabled voters who registered.

Sieng Sokha, a 34-year-old woman who lost both her legs, said she had faced difficulty while registering to vote last month.

“It was hard to move at the commune hall because there was no ramp and there were about 20 steps,” she said.

According to the deputy general secretariat of the NEC, Sorm Sorida, the building of wheelchair ramps will “depend on NEC’s budget”.

“Currently, NEC pays particular attention to the disabled, giving them priority in registering,” he said, but added that more effort will be put in to make the voting process for disabled voters as seamless as possible.