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<p></p>
<p><img width="90%" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/8e4c75055b681c94ee8b4e3fc14834d0/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/undraw_Documents_re_isxv.png" alt="Welcome" /></p>
<p>In this module, you will become familiar with and work towards the following learning objectives:</p>
<ul>
<li>Understand the legal basis for participation in political and public life for persons with disabilities;</li>
<li>Identify barriers in legal frameworks that inhibit the right of persons with disabilities to participate in political and public life;</li>
<li>Understand the concept of the electoral cycle and identify disability-inclusive electoral entry points;</li>
<li>Learn about good practices in inclusive election access and political participation;</li>
<li>Examine entry points for advancing the right to participate in political and public life in legal and other interventions.</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<h3>Participation in political and public life: Advancing political rights and election access for persons with disabilities</h3>
<p>What are the barriers to participation in political and public life for persons with disabilities?</p>
<p><img height="508" width="940" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/e6fdb57360f04cdf3c9a171acb242a83/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/400229.jpg" alt="Damjan Tatić, Vice Chairperson of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, speaking during a conference on enhancing the political and electoral participation of persons with disabilities, co-organized by ODIHR and the Balkans Independent Disability Framework. Belgrade, 16 October 2018. (OSCE/Nemanja Knezevic )" /></p>
<p>Persons with disabilities have too often been excluded from participating in the decisions that affect their lives. Their absence from decision-making processes reinforces barriers to full participation in society.</p>
<p>The enjoyment of the right of persons with disabilities to participate in decision making is interrelated to their enjoyment of other human rights:</p>
<p>For example, suppose a person with a disability is denied the right to education. In that case, the right to participate in political processes is also compromised because education provides the basis for active citizenship.</p>
<p>Similarly, suppose a person with a disability has no access to transportation. In that case, the person may not be able to register to vote, cast a ballot at a polling station, or participate in a public hearing on an important community issue that affects that person.</p>
<p>Discriminatory laws may permanently deny persons with disabilities of their legal rights and thus deny them their legal capacity. In a way, it is similar to processes that strip the rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities to make decisions about medical interventions.</p>
<p>The right to political participation has been denied to persons with disabilities throughout the world for a variety of reasons.</p>
<p>Discriminatory laws rooted in prejudice may restrict or even prohibit altogether the right to vote, particularly for persons with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities. Stereotypes about disability may also serve to exclude persons with disabilities from inclusion in public outreach by political parties or for consideration as candidates for public office.</p>
<p>Lack of access to information, such as the timing of public meetings or voting registration requirements, can also be a barrier to participation. In addition, communication barriers frequently exclude persons who are deaf or hard of hearing from decision-making processes, including medical decision-making.</p>
<p>In the context of international development, donor organizations or service providers may wrongly assume that persons with disabilities are unable or uninterested in taking part in the planning and implementation of development projects.</p>
<p>These and numerous other barriers serve to reinforce the exclusion and isolation of persons with disabilities in political and public life and, more generally, preclude their participation in decision-making in all areas where their interests are affected, whether in the public or private realm.</p>
<p></p>
</div>
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<p><strong>Establishing the Basis for Equal Access to Political Rights of Persons with Disabilities</strong></p>
<p>The right to participate in political processes is a well-established principle of human rights law.</p>
<p><img height="508" width="940" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/9f60422bc0c1bc47a1a5f556d2f4e63f/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/461767.jfif" alt="A person with disability votes during the presidential elections in Kazakhstan, 9 June 2019. (Public Fund “Yerkindik Qanaty”)" /></p>
<p>There is also a strong regional basis for equalizing political rights for persons with disabilities and dismantling the legal and practical barriers. These rights are reflected in regional instruments in the American human rights system, the African human rights system, and the European human rights system.</p>
<p>The legal basis for equal access to political rights for persons with disabilities is reflected in:</p>
<ul>
<li>Article 21 of the<strong> Universal Declaration of Human Rights</strong> (UDHR).</li>
<li>Article 25 of the <strong>International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights</strong> (ICCPR).</li>
<li>Specialized international human rights conventions.</li>
<li>The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Select each tab to learn more.</em></p>
<p>The questionnaire includes information on the following:</p>
<p><em>Select each tab to reveal the explanation.</em></p>
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<div class="accordion-title"><span>Article 21 </span></div>
<div class="accordion-content">
<p>Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) outlines some of the fundamental principles of democracy - the will of the people should be the basis of any government authority. Everyone has the right to take part in the government "directly or through freely chosen representatives." It calls for periodic, genuine elections with universal suffrage and secret ballot and establishes that “everyone has the right to equal access to public service.”</p>
<p><em>"We all have the right to take part in our country’s political affairs either by freely choosing politicians to represent us, or by belonging to the government ourselves. Governments should be voted for by the public on a regular basis, and every person’s individual vote should be secret. Every individual vote should be worth the same."</em></p>
</div>
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<div class="accordion-title"><span>Article 25</span></div>
<div class="accordion-content">
<p>Article 25 provides that:</p>
<p><em>"Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity… without reasonable restrictions…to vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors." </em></p>
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<div class="accordion-title"><span>Specialized international human rights conventions</span></div>
<div class="accordion-content">
<p>Specialized international human rights conventions also provide and reinforce these guarantees. For example, the <strong>Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination</strong>, the <strong>Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women</strong> and the <strong>Convention on the Rights of the Child</strong> all recognize the right to participate in decision-making for racial minorities, women, and children respectively.</p>
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<div class="accordion-title"><span>The UN CRPD Article 29</span></div>
<div class="accordion-content">
<p>Specifically, <em>Article 29 - Participation in political and public life</em>, guarantees the right of persons with disabilities:</p>
<ul>
<li>to vote in elections on a non-discriminatory basis;</li>
<li>to access an effective, impartial, and non-discriminatory procedure for the registration of voters;</li>
<li>to have equal and effective access to voting procedures and facilities in order to exercise their right to vote, including the provision of <strong>reasonable accommodation;</strong></li>
<li>to cast their ballot in secret;</li>
<li>to have assistance in order to exercise their right to vote or to stand for election as a candidate for public office;</li>
<li>to participate in the conduct of public administration, including the administration of political parties and civil society;</li>
<li>to participate in the work of international organizations, including serving as a representative of the government in international organizations;</li>
<li>to form and join disabled people's organizations at all levels.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<p></p>
<p>So again, the CRPD, which is ratified across the vast majority of OSCE participating States, elaborates on the right of persons with disabilities to participate in not only voting but very broadly in the political life of their societies.</p>
<p>The CRPD elaborates on the right of persons with disabilities to participate in the political life of their societies and provides specific guidance to States on implementing this right. Participation in the context of the CRPD extends beyond voting and encompasses the right of persons with disabilities to participate in decision-making processes on an equal basis with others where their interests are affected.</p>
<p>States parties to the CRPD are required to ensure the right to participate in political processes, including voting. Importantly, States must also take positive actions to assure that citizens with disabilities actually have the opportunity to exercise their political rights.</p>
<p>As you already learned, Article 3, Article 4 of the CRPD set forth the most explicit international human rights law expression of the right to participation in decision-making when one's interests are affected.</p>
<p>The key point is that Article 29 must be read together with the rest of the CRPD, including, for example, provisions on accessibility (Art 9 - non-discrimination & reasonable accommodation, Art 5, legal capacity & equal recognition before the law, Art 12)</p>
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<h3>The European Union legal context</h3>
<p>The European Union, itself a party to the UNCRPD (under Article 44 of the UNCRPD), implements the UNCRPD principles through its legislation, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the EU Disability Strategy, and the developing body of decisions by the European Court of Justice.</p>
<p>The Strategy consists of eight areas: accessibility, participation, equality, employment, education and training, social protection, health and external action.</p>
<p><img width="90%" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/6114951d34ddb0685a78aecca3cfdf0b/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/Inauguration_EYE2014_Parlement_europ%C3%A9en_Strasbourg_9_mai_2014.jpg" alt="The European Union legal context" /></p>
<p>In addition, the EU's monitoring framework with regard to the UNCRPD is actively working on the basis of its Work Plan to promote, protect and monitor the implementation of the UNCRPD in the EU:</p>
<ul>
<li>Article 3 of Protocol 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) covers an implied right to vote and contains no qualifying provision.</li>
<li>Article 39 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union guarantees all EU citizens the right to vote and to stand as a candidate at elections to the European Parliament;</li>
<li>Article 40 guarantees the right to vote and stand as a candidate at municipal elections;</li>
<li>Article 21 recognizes the right to be free from discrimination, including on the grounds of disability; and</li>
<li>Article 26 recognizes and respects the right of persons with disabilities to benefit from measures to ensure their independence, social and occupational integration and participation in the life of the community.</li>
</ul>
<p>The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is developing indicators and benchmarks and carrying out comparative legal and social research with regard to disability and the implementation of the UNCRPD in the EU member states.</p>
<p>The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) focus their disability-related work on four areas. This include supporting the electoral participation of persons with disabilities.</p>
<p></p>
</div>
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<h3>OSCE commitments and agreements</h3>
<p></p>
<p>It is important to note that OSCE participating States have recognized on a number of occasions that equal access and inclusion for persons with disabilities in political processes is a priority.</p>
<p><img height="474" width="900" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/720de5b11d5e10b97d744cff6eb1e2bf/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/Amb-Gilmore-Moscow-Mechanism.png" alt="In 1991, OSCE participating States affirmed their support for the political participation of persons with disabilities, noting in the Moscow Document" />In 1991, OSCE participating States affirmed their support for the political participation of persons with disabilities, noting in the <strong>Moscow Document </strong>that states should "take steps to ensure the equal opportunity of persons with disabilities to participate fully in the life of their society" and "to promote the appropriate participation of such persons in decision-making in fields concerning them."</p>
<p>In 2008, the <strong>OSCE Helsinki Document </strong>demonstrated the participating States' recognition that "human rights are best respected in democratic societies" and support for "partnerships between different stakeholders in the promotion and protection of human rights", both statements that underline the importance of human rights (including disability rights) and inclusion.</p>
<p>The 25th anniversary of the Moscow Document took place in 2016. On this occasion, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) partnered with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the Finnish Human Rights Centre to organize a high-level expert seminar on promoting the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life.</p>
<p>During this seminar, the OSCE participating States agreed on the following aspects related to the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life:</p>
<ul>
<li>OSCE participating States should create an accessible environment for the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life;</li>
<li>OSCE participating States should remove legal and administrative barriers preventing the participation of persons with disabilities;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>OSCE participating States should create legal, policy and institutional frameworks enabling the participation of persons with disabilities;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>OSCE participating States should provide inclusive education, civic education and take measures to raise public awareness of participation of persons with disabilities;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>OSCE participating States should make efforts to increase the visibility of persons with disabilities;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>OSCE participating States and inter-governmental organizations should ensure broad coalitions and co-operation to guarantee progress;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>OSCE participating States should collect data about the participation of persons with disabilities and monitor the progress achieved; and</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>OSCE executive structures should implement measures to become more accessible to persons with disabilities.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
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<p>Persons with disabilities have the right to stand for election to public office. While States may limit that right to those who have reached a minimum age, restrictions must be justifiable and reasonable. Disability should never apply as a restrictive condition.</p>
<p>Representation of persons with disabilities at all levels of government is on the rise. Indeed, most persons nominated by their states and elected to serve as experts on the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are themselves persons who have lived experience with disability. Moreover, the CRPD Committee has reflected the broad diversity of disability. Its members have included persons with physical, mental, sensory, and intellectual disabilities.</p>
<h3>Right to form and join organizations</h3>
<p><img height="508" width="940" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/6ce01820d2ea42c29daa1bd71b670c0c/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/IMG_4351.jpg" alt="Representatives of national authorities and disabled persons’ organizations participate in an event on enhancing the electoral participation of persons with disabilities, which was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Mission to Skopje. Skopje, 6 February 2019. (OSCE/Zoran Richliev" /></p>
<p>The CRPD recognizes the right of persons with disabilities to form and join organizations of persons with disabilities or "OPDs", sometimes called "disabled peoples organizations or "DPOs" for the purpose of representation at all levels. This right reflects the human right of anyone to found an association with others around a particular issue or to join an existing association.</p>
<p>OPDs are given recognition in the CRPD because they refer to organizations established by and for persons with disabilities themselves.</p>
<p>Associations established and run by persons with lived experience of disability are best placed to ensure that the voices of persons with disabilities are heard in decision-making processes.</p>
<h3>Barriers in legal frameworks and practices</h3>
<p>Numerous barriers pose significant obstacles for persons with disabilities in the exercise of their political rights. Many of these relate to legal barriers that persons with disabilities may encounter in relation to discriminatory laws and procedures:</p>
<ul>
<li>Specific exclusions in legislation from voting or holding public office based on disability;</li>
<li>Removal from office based on disability;</li>
<li>Removing of voting rights after guardianship or interdiction proceedings implementation;</li>
<li>No protection against discrimination based on disability & no duty to provide reasonable accommodation;</li>
<li>Lack of mandatory accessibility standards for polling stations;</li>
<li>Assisted voting procedures non-existent or provided without a choice of assistant;</li>
<li>Rude and untrained election officials;</li>
<li>Absence of focal point on disability-inclusive election access in the election management body;</li>
<li>Failure to include voice & image of persons with disabilities in voting procedures;</li>
<li>Absence of flexible voting procedures and materials;</li>
<li>Voter observation checklists do not have accessibility questions.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Scoping exercise for analyzing political rights from a disability law perspective</h3>
<p><img height="508" width="940" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/fdb3e0b3e5704de75e22f7e5a3ea5937/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/374482.jpg" alt="Participants in a conference on political participation of persons with disabilities co-organized by ODIHR on 31 October 2016 in Helsinki. (Parliament of Finland) Photo details" /></p>
<p>To understand the extent to which persons with disabilities have their right to political participation protected is a comprehensive assessment of the legal framework.</p>
<p>It must extend beyond scoping only the Constitution and electoral code because disability is a cross-cutting issue and will often be reflected in a wide variety of legal instruments.</p>
<p>Keeping this in mind, a scoping exercise carried out, for example, as part of a pe-election assessment, ought to include the following types of laws:</p>
<ul>
<li>Constitution;</li>
<li>Anti-discrimination legislation;</li>
<li>Human rights acts;</li>
<li>Electoral codes & regulations;</li>
<li>Voter registration laws;</li>
<li>Voting accessibility laws;</li>
<li>Building standards & codes;</li>
<li>Guardianship legislation;</li>
<li>ICT laws;</li>
<li>Civil codes (regulating, among other things, legal capacity/interdiction);</li>
<li>Legislation related to freedom of association for non-profit organizations, charities, civil society.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
</div>
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<h3>Case study: European Union of the Deaf (EUD)</h3>
<p>On 4 December 2012, the European Union of the Deaf (EUD), celebrated a historic moment when for the first time<em>,</em> the four Deaf members of national and European parliaments came together to exchange views and experiences:</p>
<ul>
<li>Helga Stevens, member of the Flemish Parliament and the Belgian Senate</li>
<li>Dr Ádám Kósa, member of the European Parliament</li>
<li>a Helene Jarmer, member of the National Council in Austria</li>
<li>Dr Gergely Tapolczai, member of the Hungarian Parliament</li>
</ul>
<p>There are 800,000 Deaf sign language users in Europe who are considered and live as a linguistic and cultural minority group. It is important that there are Deaf politicians who represent the voice of this community. Following the ideals and the motto of the disability movement, "Nothing about us without us," and making deafness and sign language more visible, they serve as a role model for the Deaf Community.</p>
<p>They are able to empower their peers, showing that Deaf sign language users can also be involved in political work, making decisions that influence the everyday life of every citizen, Deaf or hearing.</p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="fa fa-globe fa-2x" aria-hidden="true" title="Website activity"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> <a href="https://deafnation.com/videos/archives/15-second-european-deaf-parliamentarians" target="_blank">European deaf parliamentarians</a></span></p>
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<h3>Case study: Parliamentary participation and persons with disabilities</h3>
<p>Persons with disabilities have the right to equal access to public service and government jobs at all levels, including working at local government offices as well as serving as government representatives at international levels such as the United Nations.</p>
<p>In some countries, disabled people's organizations have advocated for positive measures in order to ensure that their interests are effectively represented in their legislatures.</p>
<p><em>Select each tab to learn more.</em></p>
<p>The questionnaire includes information on the following:</p>
<p><em>Select each tab to reveal the explanation.</em></p>
<div class="accordion"><input type="radio" name="select" class="accordion-select" checked="checked" />
<div class="accordion-title"><span>Canada: </span></div>
<div class="accordion-content">Following the election of a person with a disability to the House of Commons, modifications were made to Standing Orders of the House to "permit the full participation in the proceedings of the House of any Member with a disability." This allows the Speaker to exempt such a member from the requirement to stand for debate and voting. Members of Parliament with disabilities are now allowed to be accompanied by an assistant on the floor of the House.</div>
<input type="radio" name="select" class="accordion-select" />
<div class="accordion-title"><span>New Zealand: </span></div>
<div class="accordion-content">In November 2011, New Zealand voters elected the first deaf Member of Parliament, Mojo Mathers, a member of New Zealand's Green Party.</div>
<input type="radio" name="select" class="accordion-select" />
<div class="accordion-title"><span>Uganda: </span></div>
<div class="accordion-content">Uganda's new constitution, written in 1995, requires that five of the national members of Parliament have personal experience with disability. The Local Government Act of 1997 provides for the election of one woman with a disability and one man with a disability to every village, parish, sub-county, and district council. Incredibly, there are some 47,000 representatives sitting on directly elected bodies, easily the largest group of politicians with disabilities anywhere in the world. Members of Parliament with disabilities have served on a variety of Parliamentary committees, including Presidential Appointments, Rules and Privileges, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises, Social Services, as well as Public Service, Gender, and Local Government. Serving in the Parliament is more accessible now that rules have been changed to permit guide dogs and sign language interpreters in meeting and parliamentary sessions.</div>
<input type="radio" name="select" class="accordion-select" />
<div class="accordion-title"><span>South Africa: </span></div>
<div class="accordion-content">Eleven members of the South African Parliament are disabled. Prior to the 1994 elections, activists with disabilities looked for the political base to advance their cause. They used the Disability Rights Charter they had produced as a bargaining chip to pressure the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to establish a disability unit. Within three years a national disability strategy was adopted, and the unit was moved to the Office of the Deputy President.</div>
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<p>Strengthening the political participation of persons with disabilities should be an ongoing concern of all governmental institutions with responsibility for democratic decision-making, including but not limited to election management bodies.</p>
<p>The electoral process can be visualized as a continuous cycle with different phases.</p>
<p>Typically any election would include election planning, voter information and education, voter registration, election campaigning, political parties and finally, an actual election day and election observation.</p>
<p>After the election follows post-election planning, implementation of reforms, legal assessment, and interventions relevant in all phases of the cycle and include the following types of interventions along the cycle:</p>
<ul>
<li>Disability inclusion in all pre-electoral assessments (law, policy, and programming across the electoral cycle);</li>
<li>Training election officials in legal rights of persons with disabilities;</li>
<li>Ensuring election procedures/regulations address accessible electoral materials;</li>
<li>OPD engagement in civil society voter education and information campaigns that train on the rights of persons with disabilities to vote and participate in political and public life;</li>
<li>Ensuring that election grievance procedures include accessible processes for persons with disabilities who experienced discrimination in exercising their political rights;</li>
<li>Ensuring disability inclusion in election monitoring, including specific questions about access on observation forms;</li>
<li>Engaging OPDs in post-election reviews and legal, policy reform efforts.</li>
</ul>
<p><img width="99%" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/6cfa1e0ade1c18d35c6af407c180fcc3/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/Inclusive_electoral_processes_and_the_electoral_cycle.png" alt="The electoral process can be visualized as a continuous cycle with different phases." /></p>
<p>There are a variety of institution-building initiatives that may be contemporaneous with election assistance or may take place before or following an election event. Each has implications for enhancing the participation of individuals with disabilities in the political process. The orientation of new members of legislatures on their rights, responsibilities, and duties is a mainstay of development assistance and is a well-honed practice in developed democracies.</p>
<p>One of the prominent examples of good practice is The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) who provides resources and delivers training for new member orientation. Of particular note is the series developed and disseminated by the IPU on various human rights subjects that now also includes a book on the CRPD.</p>
<p>In some instances, the election of a candidate with a disability may prompt institutional change.</p>
<p>Where persons with disabilities are elected to legislatures, special accommodations may be required. In Canada, for example, the election of a legislator with a disability prompted the reform of Canadian parliamentary procedures. Likewise, the election of a member of Congress with a disability caused the United States to create accessible entrances to the otherwise unapproachable building.</p>
<p>Other entry points for advancing institution strengthening that will help accommodate voters with disabilities consistent with the CRPD and international standards include building capacity in policy analysis and formulation, legislative drafting, setting legislative priorities, and articulating a legislative agenda.</p>
<p>Additionally, conducting survey research can identify public opinion (general and disaggregated) on institutions, issues, policies, and policy directions to better inform agenda setting, policy debate, decision-making, and a shift towards being more diverse when collecting views and opinions.</p>
<p>Such exercises can be helpful in identifying the barriers that persons with disabilities experience in exercising their political rights.</p>
<p></p>
</div>
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<h3>Measures to enhance participation in political life and decision-making by persons with disabilities</h3>
<ul>
<ul>
<li>Training of elected representatives on disability issues (for example, parliamentarians, local council members);</li>
<li>Capacity-building among disabled people's organizations to enhance their role in public decision-making processes of all types;</li>
<li>Disability awareness campaigns;</li>
<li>Outreach campaigns highlighting the right of persons with disabilities to vote and be elected;</li>
<li>Public forums with political parties to present a unified disability platform;</li>
<li>Development of an election access task force to work with election officials and national election commissions on access issues;</li>
<li>Inclusion of the voice and image of persons with disabilities in civil and voter education materials;</li>
<li>Development of Tactile Ballot Guides for voters who are blind, allowing their votes to be cast independently and in secret;</li>
<li>Training of election officials on accessibility;</li>
<li>Inclusion of persons with disabilities in election observation and inclusion of access issues on all election observation forms;</li>
<li>Participation in the planning of development programs and lobbying development organizations for inclusion;</li>
<li>Encouragement of government ratification of the CRPD.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<p></p>
</div>
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<h3>Disability inclusive electoral process</h3>
<p><img width="90%" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/23385203da24b06dfbb413a47d84bf46/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/Disability_inclusive_electoral_process.png" alt="Disability inclusive electoral process" /></p>
<p>Summing of key trends in advancing election access consistent with the CRPD:</p>
<ul>
<li>Presumption of capacity (requires electoral law reform and/or reform of other legislation such as civil codes, guardianship laws)</li>
<li>Supported decision-making (make voter information, education and voting procedures accessible – clear, easy to understand, easy to the user)</li>
<li>Reasonable accommodation and inclusion (revision of election law and procedure)</li>
<li>Individualized assessments are impermissible (e.g., IQ tests, literacy tests) in the voting context</li>
<li>Awareness-raising (Art. 8) (e.g., using voter education and information campaigns to raise the visibility of persons with disabilities as voters and constituents.</li>
<li>Alternative modes – plain language voter information, easy-read, pictorial representations, accessible electronic voting technology.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
</div>
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<h3>Case study: The CRPD Committee and Political Participation</h3>
<p>The CRPD Committee has issued various recommendations concerning the political rights of persons with disabilities:</p>
<ul>
<li>Undertake a comprehensive review of legislation be undertaken to ensure that persons with disabilities have the right to vote and participate in political and public life on an equal basis with others, whatever their legal status or living arrangement;</li>
<li>Adopt amendments to legislation to secure the right to vote and the provision of assistance to facilitate political participation rights;</li>
<li>Provide persons with disabilities with the support they require, including personal assistants, when elected to a public position.</li>
<li>Ensure that the right of persons with disabilities to vote is not limited on the basis of disability in its electoral code and repeal any law that exclude persons under guardianship from voting.</li>
<li>Amends electoral procedures to ensure that persons with disabilities are allowed to be accompanied by a person of their choice to exercise their right to vote, including in the voting booth when casting their vote.</li>
<li>Take measures to ensure that election access is included in the programming of domestic and international election monitors.</li>
<li>Ensure that election equipment, such as voting booths and electronic voting machines procured for an election, are accessible to persons with disabilities.</li>
<li>Provide training of election officials and supports information campaigns that are accessible to persons with disabilities.</li>
<li>Undertake comprehensive audit of polling centers to ensure that they are accessible to persons with physical disabilities, such as wheelchair users.</li>
<li>The Committee's concluding observations make clear that the political rights of persons with disabilities must be legislatively protected and that voting restrictions on the basis of disability are impermissible.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
</div>
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<h3>Inclusive electoral processes: the electoral cycle</h3>
<p>The CRPD provides that persons with disabilities have the right to vote, which means that have the right to register to vote, to receive voting information, and to cast their ballot on election day. States are required to provide procedures and facilities for voter registration and polling that are accessible to persons with disabilities. States are also required to ensure that all voters have the right to vote in secret.</p>
<p>Let's analyze the electoral process as a cycle with various phases with possible entry points for disability inclusion in each.</p>
<p>Although the right to register to vote and to vote on polling day extends to all persons, it is subject to the usual eligibility requirements such as age and nationality. Certain disqualifications may apply to otherwise eligible voters, including sentencing by a competent court in criminal proceedings. In the absence of such disqualifications, no person can be barred from exercising his or her right to vote, provided she or he meets the other eligibility requirements. Finally, election observation offers the opportunity to monitor the inclusiveness of an electoral process and should include specific questions to capture data on barriers that persons with disabilities face in exercising their right to vote. Moreover, organizations of persons with disabilities should be engaged in election observation and participate actively in data capture.</p>
<p>Assessing entry points for disability-inclusive approaches in elections should be undertaken holistically, bearing in mind that election processes are not single events that consist merely of casting a ballot. The concept of the Election Cycle presents electoral processes as cyclical in nature and encompassing more than an electoral event on a given day.</p>
<p>Understood as a cycle, the Election Cycle consists of the ongoing process divided into 3 main phases that comprise the electoral cycle.:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>01 pre-electoral;</strong></li>
<li><strong>02 electoral;</strong></li>
<li><strong>03 post-electoral.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Within the three broad phases, sub-phases of the process might be identified such as:</p>
<ol>
<li>election planning;</li>
<li>voter education and information outreach;</li>
<li>voter registration;</li>
<li>election campaigning;</li>
<li>election day operations of balloting and election observation;</li>
<li>post-election assessment, planning, reforms.</li>
</ol>
<p></p>
<p><img width="100%" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/9d248876fc4467fbe72e58e0eb7f2495/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/Inclusive_electoral_processes_and_the_electoral_cycle-Full.png" alt="Understood as a cycle, the Election Cycle consists of the ongoing process of (1) pre-electoral; (2) electoral and (3) post-electoral phases that comprise the electoral cycle. Within the three broad phases, sub-phases of the process might be identified such as: (1) election planning; (2) voter education and information outreach; (3) voter registration; (4) election campaigning; (5) election day operations of balloting and election observation; (5) post-election assessment, planning, reforms. A diagram of the election cycle divided into these phases is provided below with numerous examples of entry points for disability-inclusive approaches throughout the cycle." /></p>
<p><em>A diagram of the election cycle divided into these phases is showing numerous examples of entry points for disability-inclusive approaches throughout the cycle.</em></p>
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<h3>Planning for accessible elections: Inclusion in pre-election technical assessments</h3>
<p><img height="508" width="940" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/04cc51e39721a8be1edca9d5f65178d1/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/5486.jpg" alt="ODIHR elections publications (OSCE)" /></p>
<p>Assessing an electoral environment for the purpose of including persons with disabilities, as well as other marginalized groups, should happen as a matter of course within the general framework of a pre-election technical assessment. These exercises—often supported by international organizations through international cooperation - provide an opportunity to identify needs and formulate recommendations for electoral administration reforms and adjustments that are inclusive, accessible, coordinated, and consistent with international disability rights standards.</p>
<p>Pre-election technical assessments can provide information and analysis of the overall electoral environment together with political, economic, social, and security issues that may have an impact on political campaigns and election procedures, set out recommendations on programming priorities and funding needs, and identify short- and long-term action strategies that should be taken. These assessments provide a road map for governments, election management bodies, political parties, and civil society organizations to undertake necessary reforms and implement good practices that foster inclusion and enhance the legitimacy of electoral processes. They can help ensure that voting procedures and facilities must be accessible to persons with disabilities, that polling stations are free of physical barriers that might prevent a person with a physical disability from registering or voting and that voting materials are accessible.</p>
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<h3>Barriers to participation to vote</h3>
<ul>
<li>Attitudes about the value of inclusion of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes;</li>
<li>Lack of accessible information about public meetings and consultations, political parties, voting, and registration;</li>
<li>Lack of transportation to public meetings, registration, and polling stations;</li>
<li>Physical barriers to public buildings, including courts, voting registration centers, and polling stations;</li>
<li>Polling stations in rooms too small to accommodate persons using wheelchairs and voting boxes placed on high tables;</li>
<li>Lack of accessible information on voting procedures for voters with sensory disabilities;</li>
<li>Poorly trained election workers;</li>
<li>Hostility and/or exclusion of persons with psychosocial disability and intellectual disabilities in decision-making processes;</li>
<li>Lack of alternative voting devices or accessible voting methods for persons with sensory disabilities;</li>
<li>Lack of mobile voting mechanisms for persons who cannot leave their homes or who are currently residing in hospitals/institutions.</li>
</ul>
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<h3>Case study: European Court of Human Rights Rules on Disenfranchisement of Voter with a Disability</h3>
<p>In a case before the European Court of Human Rights, Alajos Kiss v. Hungary, the applicant contested his exclusion from the electoral register on the basis that he was under partial guardianship following a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Because the Hungarian Constitution contained an absolute voting ban for people put under guardianship, the applicant was not permitted to vote in the 2006 parliamentary elections. This was clearly counter to obligations under the CRPD which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability, including in political life.</p>
<p>The European Court of Human Rights held unanimously that an automatic ban on voting for a person under guardianship violated the right to free elections of Article 3 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court also held that the State had to provide weighty reasons when applying a restriction on fundamental rights to a particularly vulnerable group, such as persons with mental disabilities. The Court did, however, accept the Hungarian government's contention "that only citizens capable of assessing the consequences of their decisions and making conscious and judicious decisions should participate in public affairs." On the other hand, the Court did not accept the permissibility of an automatic exclusion from the right to vote. The Court noted the relevance of the standards set forth in the CRPD in its ruling. The decision, therefore, is decidedly mixed and underscores the work that needs to be done to bring effect to CRPD rights.</p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="fa fa-file-pdf-o fa-2x" aria-hidden="true" title="Reading activity"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> <a href="http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-98800" target="_blank">Source: Alajos Kiss v. Hungary, Eur. Ct. HR Application No. 38832/06 (20 May 2010)</a></span></p>
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<h3>Inclusive civic and voter education</h3>
<p>Ensuring that civic and voter education processes are inclusive of persons with disabilities and their families is one way of facilitating active citizenship. Participation in voting is empowering and sets the stage for participating in community life in other spheres, such as economic opportunity.</p>
<p>Disabled people's organizations should actively promote the participation of persons with disabilities and can serve as essential resources on disability inclusion to election commissions, civic and voter education organizations, and political parties.</p>
<p>Moreover, persons with disabilities should be included in voter education initiatives as educators, and voting materials should reflect the positive image of persons with disabilities. Such inclusion has the added benefit of helping to raise the visibility of persons with disabilities in society and confronting harmful stereotypes that reinforce exclusion and marginalization.</p>
<p><img width="90%" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/6dcdea782702fc23f99d0583f2967c6b/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/POL19-3026-MEX-A-woman-with-disability-casts-her-vote-in-the-ballot-during-a-voting-drill.jpg" alt="Inclusive civic and voter education" /></p>
<p>There are numerous examples of successful strategies for enhancing the participation of persons with disabilities in civic and voter education campaigns. Some of these include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Ensuring that persons with disabilities and their representative organizations are included in voter education campaigns as participants and as educators;</li>
<li>Planning voter education activities in accessible venues and holding voter education sessions at disabled people's organizations;</li>
<li>Inclusion of the voice and image of persons with disabilities in civic and voter education materials (for example, designing posters with images of voters with disabilities exercising their right to vote);</li>
<li>Providing closed captions and sign language interpreters on televised voter information announcements;</li>
<li>Ensuring that voters with disabilities have information on their right to have assistance in casting their vote, including by a person of their own choosing;</li>
<li>Providing voter education and information in accessible formats (for example, large print, electronic format for voters that use screen reading technology, written material, easy-to-understand language for persons with intellectual disabilities); and</li>
<li>Capacity-building among disabled people's organizations to enhance their role in civic and voter education.</li>
</ul>
<p>Civic and voter education initiatives present opportunities for disabled people's organizations to enhance disability awareness and increase the participation of persons with disabilities in political decision-making. They also provide opportunities for disability advocates to work with other civil society groups on voter awareness and education. In this way, disabled people's organizations can share information and advocacy goals with other civil society groups and learn their advocacy strategies and priorities.</p>
<p></p>
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<h3>Accessible voter information Finland and Germany good practices</h3>
<p>The Finnish Ministry of Justice produced easy-to-understand election videos in Finnish and Swedish on how to vote in municipal elections and how to cast a ballot in an advance voting station. In the 2011 national elections and 2012 municipal elections, Finland expanded voter education and information, including extensive website content. For the first time, candidate lists were provided on audio CD and in Braille making it possible for persons with visual impairments to study district candidate lists independently.</p>
<p>Germany published "Sure, I vote" (Klar geh' ich wählen), an easy-to-read guide for German parliamentary elections, which answers frequently asked questions in accessible language. The brochure, published in 2013, uses illustrations to demonstrate how to vote and was produced by Berlin's Electoral Commissioner (Landeswahlleiterin für Berlin) in cooperation with the Centre for Political Education (Landeszentrale für politische Bildungsarbeit) and an alliance of disability organisations in Berlin.</p>
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<h3>Accessible balloting</h3>
<p><img height="508" width="940" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/2cf29fb955f15ecb77f37fe03ff4ba2d/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/118247.jpg" alt="Rina Toprlak (r), a deaf person employed by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo for three days, as part of an initiative to demonstrate the skills of people with disabilities to potential employers, discusses her tasks with Zana Preniqi, her interpreter, Prishtinë/Priština, 21 October 2011. (OSCE/Hasan Sopa)" /></p>
<p>At the planning stage, opportunities for assessing the accessibility of polling centers to voters with disabilities are ideal. This might include barrier removal at polling centers, making plans for modifications, undertaking accessibility audits, among others. OPDs can be invaluable in this process, as can experts with disabilities. In some countries (Jordan, for instance), where barrier removal cannot be achieved all at once for all polling centers, certain sites may be designated as assessable. </p>
<p>Communication barriers can prevent voters with hearing impairments from exercising their right to register and to vote. Sign language interpreters or written material highlighted with clear illustrations may provide accommodations for such voters. Plain language materials may assist voters with intellectual disabilities in exercising their right to vote. The training of election officials is essential to enable voters with disabilities to be appropriately accommodated and treated in a non-discriminatory manner.</p>
<p>In many countries around the world, disabled people's organizations have played important advocacy roles to enhance the accessibility of electoral processes for all and also to raise awareness about disability issues more generally.</p>
<p>Electoral processes present opportunities for disability advocates to raise the visibility of disability issues, engage with political parties, and assess the extent to which national elections commissions are working to ensure access and realization of the right to vote for persons with disabilities.</p>
<p>All people have the right to vote in secret, an absolute right that may not be restricted. In many countries, however, voting and registration procedures are not made accessible to persons with disabilities to allow for their secret voting, especially for voters who are blind.</p>
<p></p>
<hr />
<p></p>
<h3>Tactile ballot guides for voters who are blind</h3>
<p><img height="472" width="900" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/beb9c33c3f59e2a9dc9bec1e6132d791/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/Tactile_ballot_guides.jpg" alt="Tactile Ballot Guides for Voters Who are Blind" /></p>
<p>Voters who are blind may exercise their right to vote in secret with a tactile ballot guide or with a voting machine that has audible instructions. In addition, many countries have introduced accessible procedures that provide voters who are blind with the right to vote in secret.</p>
<p>Tactile ballot guides, such as the one depicted here, are paper folders with cut-outs next to each candidate on the ballot.</p>
<p>The ballot can be placed inside the guide to assist a voter who is blind or who has low vision to determine where to place his or her mark. They are cheap to produce and easy to use.</p>
<p><strong>Tactile vs. Braille</strong></p>
<p>In the 2005 Liberian elections, the National Elections Commission, together with the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), printed Tactile Ballot Guides to enable voters who are blind to mark their ballot independently, thereby preserving their rights to vote in secret. Election officials were trained on the use of this guide so that they could assist voters wishing to use them.</p>
<p>A coalition of disabled people's organizations held voter education sessions throughout Liberia in which they explained to voters how to use the guides. IFES has facilitated the introduction of Tactile Ballot Guides in many countries, including Armenia, Ghana, and Yemen.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Accessible voting machines</h3>
<p><img width="90%" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/b26812d5fdf38551be49740965cdc9e0/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/IVotronicVVPAT.jpg" alt="Accessible voting machines" /></p>
<p>Each polling place ideally should include a voting machine or system that is accessible for individuals with disabilities so that they can have privacy and independence similar to other voters.</p>
<p>This includes providing voting systems that are accessible for individuals with visual impairment.</p>
<p>Voting machines and tables for voters with disabilities must have a height to allow a voter using a wheelchair easy access. This image illustrates a clear line of sight for the machine display. Table height is an essential element of accessibility.</p>
<p>Voting Machines Accessibility features:</p>
<ul>
<li>Keys should be well spaced, tactilely discernable and contrast visually with their surround.</li>
<li>Knee clearance for wheelchair users at voting machines and low positioning for reachability</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p></p>
<h3>Assisted voting procedures</h3>
<p><img width="90%" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/f3d7ad764cc483806541fb0b5036cd88/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/SPAIN-Elecciones-12.jpg" alt="Assisted Voting Procedures" /></p>
<p>Persons with disabilities also have the right to assistance in the exercise of their registration and voting rights. For example, they may select a friend or family member to accompany them to the polls. The right to assistance is particularly important where registration and polling stations are not fully accessible. Service animals may also facilitate political participation rights.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Inclusive election monitoring</h3>
<h3><img height="951" width="932" src="//d24jp206mxeyfm.cloudfront.net/assets/courseware/v1/83ceaf23271161efa3ad026c32846a88/asset-v1:OSCE+HD-RPD-EN+2021_09+type@asset+block/Inclusive_election_monitoring.png" alt="Inclusive election monitoring" /></h3>
<p></p>
<p>Mainstream election observation missions - whether domestic or international - too often fail to include questions on disability access on election observation checklists and fail to include persons with disabilities and DPOs in their work.</p>
<p>In that sense, continuous monitoring for inclusion should take place both pre-and post-election, including in developed democracies, as well as transitional, developing, failed state, or post-conflict contexts.</p>
<p>For example, The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Missions do, however, ask a few questions on accessibility.</p>
<p>Although they have limited time in each polling station (typically staying approximately 30 minutes) and multiple points to check, the observers will concentrate on issues identified below, although these may vary depending on the country's legal framework and administrative arrangements.</p>
<p>Typical questions and guidelines for STO forms used in polling stations (PSs) and tabulation centers can include the following:</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="22">
<p><strong>#</strong></p>
</td>
<td width="350">
<p><strong>EOM election day form question</strong></p>
</td>
<td width="325">
<p><strong>EOM guidelines to corresponding questions</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="22">
<p>1</p>
</td>
<td width="350">
<p>Is the information at the PS available in multiple formats for persons with various kinds of disabilities?</p>
<p>(Yes/No)</p>
</td>
<td width="325">
<p>Multiple formats of information make the process accessible to persons with various types of disabilities. Making information accessible can include easy-to-read materials, large print versions, Braille and audio-visual materials (including with sign language).</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="22">
<p>2</p>
</td>
<td width="350">
<p>Is the PS physically accessible to persons with physical disabilities? Is the layout of the PS suitable for voters with disabilities?</p>
<p> (Yes/No)</p>
</td>
<td width="325">
<p>This involves seeing if the polling station is accessible to someone with physical disabilities so that she or he can mark and cast her or his ballot in secret and with dignity, without particular help.</p>
<p>For example, needing help to lift a wheelchair up some steps would mean that the building is not accessible.</p>
<p>This also involves checking that someone in a wheelchair can mark and cast her or his ballot in secret without assistance, for example by having a voting booth that is low enough for someone in a wheelchair to use, and similarly for the ballot box.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="22">
<p>3</p>
</td>
<td width="350">
<p>Are assistive tools available to help persons with sensory disabilities? (Yes/No)</p>
</td>
<td width="325">
<p>These allow persons with sensory disabilities to vote in secret. They include tactile ballot guides, Braille ballot guides and magnifying</p>
<p>glasses.</p>
<p>Try to see these and to find out if they</p>
<p>work, as well as if, in practice, people know how to use them and find them helpful.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="22">
<p>4</p>
</td>
<td width="350">
<p>Can a voter with disabilities choose who will assist them? (Yes/No/Do not know)</p>
</td>
<td width="325">
<p>Is the voter's choice of who will assist respected? Does any polling official also join (thereby compromising the secrecy of the ballot)?</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Resource:</p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="fa fa-file-pdf-o fa-2x" aria-hidden="true" title="Reading activity"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> <a href="https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/2/c/339571_0.pdf" target="_blank">Handbook on Observing and Promoting the Electoral Participation of Persons with Disabilities</a></span></p>
<hr />
<h4>Case study: Monitoring & Evaluating Election Access - EU Fundamental Rights Agency Indicators Project</h4>
<p>The EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FAR) undertook a study of the election access for persons with disabilities across the European Union and also developed indicators to assist member states in monitoring accessibility of participation in political life:</p>
<ol>
<li>Restrictions on the right to vote of people without legal capacity</li>
<li>Legal requirement to register to vote</li>
<li>Alternative ways of voting</li>
<li>Voting from long-term institutions</li>
<li>Accessibility of polling stations</li>
<li>Accessibility of public buildings</li>
<li>Accessibility of information websites</li>
<li>Accessibility of information television broadcasts</li>
<li>Accessibility of election manifestos</li>
</ol>
<p><span class="fa fa-file-pdf-o fa-2x" aria-hidden="true" title="Reading activity"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> <a href="https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra-2014-right-political-participation-persons-disabilities_en.pdf" target="_blank">EU FRA Report: The right to political participation for persons with disabilities: human rights indicators</a></span></p>
<hr />
<h3>Summing up: key interventions to advance election access</h3>
<p>There are a wide variety of interventions that may be undertaken to advance election access. A summary of these includes the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Disability inclusion in all pre-electoral assessments (law, policy, and programming across the electoral cycle);</li>
<li>Training election officials;</li>
<li>Designing accessible electoral materials;</li>
<li>OPD engagement in civil society voter education and information campaigns;</li>
<li>Ensuring the voice and image of persons with disabilities is used in election materials & information campaigns;</li>
<li>Ensuring disability inclusion in election monitoring;</li>
<li>Engaging OPDs in post-election reviews and reform efforts.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
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<h3>Further reading and key documents</h3>
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<p>OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring their Right to Participate in Political and Public Life, (Warsaw, September 2017),</p>
<p><a href="https://www.osce.org/odihr/340246" target="_blank">https://www.osce.org/odihr/340246</a></p>
<p>OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Handbook on Observing and Promoting the Electoral Participation of Persons with Disabilities, (Warsaw, September 2017),</p>
<p><a href="https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/339571" target="_blank">https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/339571</a></p>
<p>OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Guidelines on Political Party Regulation, (Warsaw, May 2011),</p>
<p><a href="https://www.osce.org/odihr/77812" target="_blank">https://www.osce.org/odihr/77812</a></p>
<p>OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring their Right to Participate in Political and Public Life, (Warsaw, September 2017)</p>
<p><a href="https://www.osce.org/odihr/340246" target="_blank">https://www.osce.org/odihr/340246</a></p>
<p>OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Handbook on Observing and Promoting the Electoral Participation of Persons with Disabilities, (Warsaw, September 2017)</p>
<p><a href="https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/339571" target="_blank">https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/339571</a></p>
<p>OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Guidelines on Political Party Regulation, (Warsaw, May 2011)</p>
<p><a href="https://www.osce.org/odihr/77812" target="_blank">https://www.osce.org/odihr/77812</a></p>
<p>Council of Europe, Committee of Ministers, "Recommendation CM/Rec 14 on the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life" (2011):</p>
<p><a href="https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805cbe4ehttps://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805cbe4e" target="_blank">https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805cbe4ehttps://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805cbe4e</a></p>
<p>European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, "The Right to Political Participation of Persons with Mental Health Problems and Persons with Intellectual Disabilities," (2010): </p>
<p><a href="http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/research/publications/publications_per_year/pub-disability-overview_en.htm" target="_blank">http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/research/publications/publications_per_year/pub-disability-overview_en.htm</a></p>
<p>International Foundation For Election Systems (IFES), Global Initiative to Enfranchise People with Disabilities</p>
<p><a href="http://www.electionaccess.org" target="_blank">http://www.electionaccess.org</a></p>
<p>The US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, "Americans with Disabilities Act Checklist for Polling Places," February 2004</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ada.gov/votingck.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ada.gov/votingck.htm</a></p>
<p></p>
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<p>Well done, you have completed this module. You should be now familiar with and work towards the following learning objectives:</p>
<ul>
<li>Understand the legal basis for participation in political and public life for persons with disabilities;</li>
<li>Identify barriers in legal frameworks that inhibit the right of persons with disabilities to participate in political and public life;</li>
<li>Understand the concept of the electoral cycle and identify disability-inclusive electoral entry points;</li>
<li>Learn about good practices in inclusive election access and political participation;</li>
<li>Examine entry points for advancing the right to participate in political and public life in legal and other interventions.</li>
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<p><em>Let's check what you have learned so far.</em></p>
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