'I feel proud to have my vote, my voice'

James Walker has Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome - a severe form of epilepsy

A man from Hull unable to walk or talk is urging others with learning disabilities not to give up their vote in the General Election.

James Walker, 26, who has Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, said he would be heading to his local polling station on Thursday to cast his vote using eye gaze technology.

Despite recent changes in the law around improving accessibility of voting, there is still a lot of misunderstanding around the barriers faced by some groups, campaigners say.

Mr Walker said he had been voting since the age of 18 and was "excited" about doing so again in the upcoming election.

The 26-year-old has been voting since the age of 18 using eye gaze technology

Speaking through his eye gaze technology, he said: “Some people think I should not vote because I have a learning disability. This is wrong.

"Legally, I am allowed to vote like everyone else.

"When I take up my democratic right to vote it makes me feel important but I know lots of people do not vote but if I can do it, anyone can.

"I feel proud to have my vote, my voice.”

The 26-year-old has been reading through all of the parties’ manifestos and has been watching the TV debates with the help of his mum and carer, Gina Walker.

She said: “James is crazy about politics.

"As soon as you start talking about politics his face just lights up. He likes watching the debates.

"We always celebrate James’s vote because I think it’s important people with disabilities know that they can vote and when we get trolls and people saying things like 'what do people with learning disabilities know', my response to them will be that James is better read than most because he reads all the manifestos.”

Gina Walker says her son is crazy about politics

According to the charity Mencap, there are about 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK.

Mr Walker has been part of a national campaign, by the Dimensions charity, encouraging people with learning disabilities to make their voices heard.

His personal assistant, Kelly Wilson, said Mr Walker's efforts had inspired her to vote.

“I went to go to vote with James when I was working and it inspired me to do it as well because I thought if James can vote then we should all have our say.”

Mr Walker uses his eyes as a cursor to click on words and pictures to build sentences with his computer.

Mr Walker's personal assistant has been "inspired" by his joy of voting

His mother has said they have been practicing before the big day and James will have to say his choice three times so that they know he has not made a mistake.

“I had to load all the parties up on to his eye gaze and teach him where the parties are on the screen, so he can work out who he is going to vote for and then know how to do it, as he will have to speak that vote to us so that we can physically mark the cross.

"He needs the privacy to speak the vote loud so we always go at a quiet time and we will turn the volume down to half the level so he can whisper it almost.

"I’m interested to know who he is going to vote for, he doesn’t tell me until the day.”