Hearing impaired woman becomes first BLO for disabled

SHILLONG: Hearing impaired Batimon Nongsteng has become the state’s first special Booth Level Officer (BLO) for the disabled.
She was felicitated on Monday for being the maiden special BLO.
State chief electoral officer Frederick Kharkongor said on Tuesday that the role of the special BLO will be to assist the disabled in election related matters.
Nongsteng hails from Massar village which is known for having maximum number of hearing impaired people.
According to Kharkongor, the BLO will coordinate with predominantly hearing impaired polling stations of Massar under Pynursla constituency in East Khasi Hills.
As part of the initiative for accessible elections, the Meghalaya Sign Language Application which was released in collaboration with Commissioner of Disability has 113 election related terms and gestures, basic sign language and others that will be useful for both PWD voters and election officials.