Many disabled people have been seen casting their vote in the referendum – Press photoin the first parliament elected after this constitution comes into effect, as specified by law. CAIRO – 22 April 2019: Many disabled people were seen casting their votes in the referendum on constitutional amendments, which if approved, will significantly expand the president's authority and extend presidential terms to six years instead of four.Monday, April 22 is the last day Egyptians can cast their votes.Ashraf Sobhi, the minister of youth, said that the participation of the disabled people in the referendum reflects the ministry's success to reach and integrate them into the society.On the first day of the referendum on constitutional amendments, the National Council for Disability Affairs said it had received 70 inquiries from disabled people about the referendum until the polling stations closed at 9 p.m. on Saturday.This referendum witnesses the first printing of ballot papers using Braille writing system, which uses embossed paper designed to allow visually impaired people to read. The Braille ballot papers will allow blind citizens to practice their constitutional right and vote in the referendum unassisted.Braille allows blind people and those who have low vision to read documents through touching raised dots representing the letters of alphabet.According to Article 244 of the Constitution and according to the amendment proposed, the State shall ensure that the youth, Christians, persons with disabilities and Egyptians residing abroad are represented in an appropriate manner, as specified by law.While before the amendment, the article stipulated that these sectors shall be represented appropriatelyPolling stations nationwide have started to receive voters inside Egypt on Saturday to cast their ballots in the referendum, over three consecutive days, while expats have been allowed to vote since Friday, according to each country's local time. "People with special needs in Egypt represent 9-10 percent of the total population", Sisi said.In July 2018, President Sisi announced establishing a technical center for services for disabled persons, to be the first of its kind in Africa. The center will enable people with hearing or speech related disability to use technology to communicate through mobile phones.During the inauguration of the seventh International Conference on Information Technology Convergence and Services for People with Disabilities (ICT4PwDs), Sisi also announced establishing an initiative that aims to enable disabled people to get services and information introduced by online websites of governmental institutions.

Source: Egypt Today April 22, 2019 10:30 UTC