Learn More: How IFES Promotes Disability Rights

How does IFES support access and inclusion?

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) believes every person deserves a vote and a voice, and that dynamic democracies flourish when all groups of society are represented. That’s why in over 145 countries, IFES empowers persons with disabilities to participate in democratic processes as voters, candidates, poll workers, election observers, advocates and leaders by:

• Conducting civic and voter education activities via diverse media, including face-to-face, radio, social media and street theater;
• Providing technical assistance to government officials on how to implement international standards, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
• Empowering civil society organizations to advocate for equal rights; and
• Assisting citizen-led efforts to define best practices through the development of global tools such as the manual Equal Access: How to Include Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Processes and the online resource ElectionAccess.org.

Who does IFES support?

Meet some of the individuals IFES has worked with to promote disability rights:

In Europe and Eurasia:

Actual participation in the elections is essentially important for us. We do not want them to bring mobile boxes at our places, quite on the contrary. It is important for us to be integrated within the society and that is why we should go out and vote at the polling stations." - Ana Nazgaidze, Georgia

Read a letter from a Member of Parliament in Kyrgyzstan, thanking IFES for providing tactile ballot guides for voters with visual disabilities.

In the Americas:

"[Participating in elections] is very important to me because it is a very personal way of expressing my political, social and economic will according to my preferences. I want my country to have a democracy in which all voices are heard." -Massiel Liriano, Dominican Republic

Explore how IFES supported a team of Haitians with disabilities to conduct the country’s first election access observation mission.

In Africa:

My participation allows me to have a say in who will be our future leaders. It also permits me to monitor the access conditions of fellow citizens with disabilities and the overall improvement of our quality of life." -Nancy Rose Crespin, Guinea

Read about IFES' work to build election accessibility for Nigeria’s historic 2015 elections.

In Asia:

“It was during a Disability Accessible Polling simulation at IFES’ 2012 U.S. Election Program, that I was struck by the importance of making voting accessible to persons with disabilities. Upon my return to Nepal, I led the commission’s efforts to ensure that the election process would take this into account…My vision for the Electoral Commission of Nepal is for it to become a model disability inclusive institution in Nepal.” -Neel Kantha Uprety, Former Chief Commissioner, Election Commission of Nepal

Celebrate South Asian disability rights advocates’ key advocacy win.

In the Middle East and North Africa:

"This is the time that we choose the direction for Libya, and to make the electoral process equal opportunity is vital at this stage. What Libya is going through—and the security situation—we need everyone involved to choose our decision makers." -Amal Ballu, Libya

Learn more about political participation by women with disabilities in areas affected by conflict.

How can you partner with IFES to make a difference?

Our goal is to raise $10,000 by December 31, 2015 for IFES’ global programming to politically empower persons with disabilities. Click here to make a gift, and use your voice to help others find theirs.

For more information, please contact Lauren Terrell at LTerrell@ifes.org.