People living with disabilities (PLWDs)

This has been made possible through a partnership between the PNG Fashion & Design Week and the Australian government.

For this year the PNG Fashion Festival has been made inclusive and accessible.

During the launching of the festival yesterday in Port Moresby, chairperson of the PNG Fashion & Design Week, Janet Sios, said people living with disabilities will be given every opportunity to participate in all their programs.

In Papua New Guinea, this is an even harsher reality for people living with disabilities (PLWD).

So in a first for hotels in PNG, the soon to be open Sanctuary hotel has considered this portion of the population.

From its 56 rooms, one has been specially designed to facilitate for a PLWD.

Room 116, called the accessible room, is located to the right of the reception for the hotel’s guests with disabilities.

This is the only gazetted polling station with special attention given to PLWDs in the nation’s capital.

No such station was set in Moresby South and Moresby North-East.

This station alone will cater for eligible voting residents of Chesire home, their carers, other PLWDs and their guardians as well as the staff of Chesire home.

Team 197 set up early but polling for the site was delayed until after 10:30am.

The station received 150 ballot papers, half of what they had budgeted for (with the proposal of three stations).

This was reiterated by the Electoral Commissioner, Patilias Gamato.

Their voting will be at the Cheshire Home in Port Moresby, the reason being that the venue has special facilities readily available for PLWDs.

There will be six boxes available at the venue - two for each electorate in NCD.

Gamato said PLWDs also have the constitutional right to express and cast their vote without fear or favour.

He encouraged all PLWDs living in and around the city to make their way to Chesire home to cast their votes.

NCD's one-day polling starts today at 8am.

Tole Wia and Benson Tegia say access to some of the government services, like the courthouse, should be improved to cater for them as well.

They recently went to the Waigani National Court building to attend a case hearing and were unimpressed with its accessibility.

They are now calling on the building contractors of the new court complex to consider PLWDs.

Loop PNG witnessed the two being carried up the stairs into one of the outer court rooms.