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Celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities

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Today, the annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities, is an opportunity to commemorate the human rights of persons with disabilities. For more than 15 years, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has worked to support the political rights of men and women with disabilities, recognizing that that all people - with and without disabilities – should have an equal opportunity to contribute their voice within the political life of their communities. In keeping with the theme of this year’s International Day, “Inclusion Matters: Access and Empowerment for People of All Abilities,” active political participation provides a path for persons with disabilities to reduce inequalities by dismantling institutional barriers, erasing social stigma and contributing to a stable democracy. In support of this effort, highlights of IFES’ disability work in 2015 include:

Q&A with U.S. Congressman LangevinRead the Q&AVoter Education Concerts Targeting Persons with Disabilities in Myanmar
Read MorePhoto Gallery: Disability Inclusion Election Observation in Haiti
View Photos

Other IFES Disability Rights Highlights:

  • A revamped ElectionAccess.org debuted in May 2015, and is regularly updated with new content on political participation by persons with disabilities. See the latest here.
  • The Global RightsNow! consortium is hard at work in Armenia, Kenya, Mexico and Vietnam. Read about the training in Mexico here.
  • A major advocacy victory was secured by disability rights advocates at the first South Asia Regional Disability Rights Dialogue on Political Participation. Read more here.
  • Election accessibility is being explored and developed in Nigeria. Read more here.
  • A voter education video from Jordan includes a sign language interpreter. Watch the video here.
  • New Media Guidelines for Reporting on Accessible Elections were released by the General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA). Download the PDF here.