Disability rights

People with disabilities have equal access to political and public life.

One out of seven people in the world has a disability, yet people with disabilities remain underrepresented in political and public life. Participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process provides the basis for mainstreaming their inclusion in all aspects of society by breaking down social stigmas and increasing the accountability of elected representatives. IFES partners with organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), governments and civil society to advance the political and electoral rights of persons with disabilities around the world. IFES has worked with OPDs in more than 60 countries and is a recognized thought leader on political rights of persons with disabilities, receiving the InterAction Disability Inclusion Award in 2011 and two Zero Project Innovative Practice awards in 2015 and 2019.

IFES works to strengthen political inclusion by:

Providing technical assistance to electoral management bodies, human rights commissions and other national and regional government stakeholders on how to implement international standards such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Supporting persons with disabilities and civil society organizations to advocate for equal rights.
Assisting citizen-led efforts to define best practices through the development of global tools such as the Equal Access manual and the online resource www.ElectionAccess.org.

Explore our resources linked here to learn more and get involved.

Featured

Election Access Observation Toolkit

To ensure election observations account for the various barriers that women and men with disabilities encounter, IFES, along with disabled persons’ organization partners around the world, has developed an Election Access Observation Toolkit.

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Hand places ballot in ballot box.

New Intersectionality Assessment Framework

IFES has developed a new assessment framework to identify intersectional barriers and opportunities related to political participation of people with multiple social identities, such as gender, disability and age. The tool is adapted from the IFES Monitoring, Evaluation and Survey Research team’s Participatory Assessment Methodology, which has been implemented in countries around the world. This methodology seeks to generate focus group data through democratic, collaborative, and participant-led means.

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Featured Experts

Virginia Atkinson

Virginia Atkinson Senior Global Advisor, Inclusion

Rebecca Aaberg Inclusion Advisor

Latest

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News and Updates Feature

Gabrielle McKenzie on tv screen at USG event. Panelists seated in person to her left in front of flags.

Young Advocate Redefines Health Education For Persons With Disabilities Gabrielle McKenzie, an IFES Youth ALLIES participant, and disability rights advocate, takes her leadership to the U.S. June 30, 2023

News and Updates Feature

Person using phone with laptop in background.

From Phones to the Polls, People with Intellectual Disabilities Learn About Electoral Processes IFES supports the Armenian organization, We Can NGO, in creating a civic education app for people with intellectual disabilities. June 21, 2023

News and Updates Interview/Speech/Testimony

IFES Q&A Virginia Atkinson Senior Global Inclusion Advisor, Summit for Democracy Disability Rights Cohort

IFES Q&A: Virginia Atkinson A chat with IFES's Sr. Global Inclusion Advisor and representative to the Summit for Democracy Disability Rights Cohort. March 27, 2023

News and Updates Feature

Youth Allies participant Rosemarie Rammit speaking at conference.

One Young Woman’s Journey to Building a More Inclusive Guyana IFES-implemented USAID Youth Advocacy, Linkages, Leadership in Elections and Society (Youth ALLIES) participant Rosemarie Ramitt on her activism. March 8, 2023

Publication Report/Paper

Human Rights

Developing a Disability Inclusion Policy: A Strategic Planning and Implementation Guide for Election Management Bodies Developing disability-inclusive measures for elections can help ensure young leaders have access to political life. December 22, 2022

News and Updates Feature

Youth participants pose with the National Youth with Disabilities Conference Banner

IFES Hosts Guyana’s Inaugural National Youth With Disabilities Conference IFES partnered with the GCOPD to host Guyana’s first-ever National Youth With Disabilities Conference on Dec. 2-3, 2022. December 19, 2022

Events

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Summit for Democracy: Disability Rights Cohort Virtual Session The Disability Rights Cohort is led by the Government of Australia and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

March 22, 2023 9:00 PM EDT

Promoting American Interests Through International Disability Rights: Recommendations for the New Congress Join IFES and the United States (U.S.) International Council on Disabilities on January 9 for an event on “Promoting American Interests Through International Disability Rights: Recommendations for the New Congress.” We will hear from practitioners and advocates on how to promote international disability rights, ensure democracies are inclusive, and why these issues should be considered by U.S. policymakers.

January 9, 2019 1:30 PM EST

Virtual Youth with Disabilities Lead: Linking the Summit for Democracy and the Global Disability Summit On Thursday, Feb. 17 at 11:30 A.M. EST/UTC-5, as part of the 2022 Global Disability Summit, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) will co-host a discussion with young leaders with disabilities from around the world about inclusive democracy. Young people make up almost half of the world’s population and are critical decision-makers and positive change agents in communities around the world but often face significant barriers to their participation in public life.

February 17, 2022 11:30 AM UTC

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IFES Mentions

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Guyana Chronicle Journalists sensitised to covering issues on disability Read "Journalists sensitised to covering issues on disability" on Guyana Chronicle. September 5, 2022

Guyana Times Higher fines for employers who discriminate against PWDs – GCOPD Read "Higher fines for employers who discriminate against PWDs – GCOPD" on Guyana Times. September 4, 2022

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Focus Areas

IFES joins with others to tackle the most pressing issues for democracy and elections today.

Election Integrity

Trusted electoral stakeholders deliver credible elections.

Anti-Corruption & Democratic Trust

Anti-Corruption & Democratic Trust: effective governing institutions accountable to the people they serve.

Inclusion & Human Rights

All people safely participate in civic and political life on an equal basis.

Cyber & Information Integrity

IFES works to ensure technology, information, and data positively serve elections and democracy.