News

In 2017, the General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA), with the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) recognized inclusive reporting. Winners were selected from submissions across Indonesia in five categories: (1) News reporting for TV and radio; (2) News reporting for print and online media; ...

In 2017, the General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA), with the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) recognized inclusive reporting. Winners were selected from submissions across Indonesia in five categories: (1) News reporting for TV and radio; (2) News reporting for print and online media; ...

Politicians have the opportunity to pass legislation and promote new policies that make a difference in the lives of persons with disabilities. Their engagement can provide an avenue for greater inclusion in political life, as well as in areas such as education and healthcare. Senarath Attanayake, the first person with ...

To mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and  the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) held a seminar on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the electoral process on December 2 in Islamabad. Chief Election Commissioner Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza, Secretary of ...

Image of Constitutional Court from Human Rights Watch   The Indonesian Constitutional Court issued a decision on October 13 on a case brought by civil society and the disability community to challenge a provision in the Law on Regional Head Elections that denies the right to vote to citizens who ...

Persons with disabilities living in areas that are rural or remote encounter additional barriers to participating in public life. According to the World Health Organization’s 2011 World Report on Disability, persons with disabilities are affected by poor coordination of service delivery and inadequate resources. Persons with disabilities in remote and ...

Members of the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF), a regional disabled persons’ organization (DPO) provided insights on political participation in the Asia-Pacific region through a virtual roundtable. Participants, who took part in the Pacific Regional Disability Rights Dialogue organized by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and supported by the ...

On August 10, the Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC) conducted pilot testing for a new tactile ballot guide for the upcoming October elections. The CEC met with approximately 25 voters with visual disabilities to test a potential new guide ahead of the elections. The tactile ballot guide, which is a ...

On July 26, 1990, the United States passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a landmark law increasing access to basic rights for persons with disabilities in the country. The ADA’s passage was the result of decades of advocacy by citizens with disabilities, following other successful legal reforms such as ...

Fatoumata Camara, a Guinean with a physical disability, is the Deputy Coordinator for the Association of Persons Living with a Disability of Mamou, Guinea. A brief Q&A with her is available below.   What has been your role in the disability rights community and how long have you been involved in this ...

Disability Rights Alliance, India (DRA), a collective of disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs) in India, has taken significant steps to increase access to the political process, recently drafting a 12-point charter on the rights of persons with disabilities to participate politically. The charter highlights availability of personal assistance while voting and ...

On June 15, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Sri Lankan Permanent Mission to the United Nations, and Disabled People's International (DPI) will co-host a side event at the Conference of States Parties for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). How Regional Collaboration Can Lead to More ...

From May 16 to 19, the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (EC) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) held a workshop to design a four-year strategic plan that will bolster the EC’s ability to serve as a model for other election management bodies. As part of this effort, ...

The first ever Pacific Regional Disability Rights Dialogue, co-hosted by the Fijian Elections Office (FEO), the Pacific Disabilities Forum (PDF), the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) brought together election management officials and disability rights advocates from across the Pacific. The event, made ...

On April 4, Professor Ronald McCallum, former chairman of the Committee on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee), currently teaching law at the University of Sydney, provided expert testimony for the Indonesian Constitutional Court on the proposed Elections Law.   The Indonesian Mental ...

In February 2016, dozens of participants representing disability rights advocates, disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) and other civil society groups convened in Colombo, Sri Lanka to discuss the rights of persons with disabilities in the electoral and constitutional reform process. Led by the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), the meeting ...

Stephanie Ortoleva is the President and founder of Women Enabled International (WEI) and is a highly recognized international human rights lawyer, policy and development consultant, author and researcher on issues of women's rights, disability rights and the rights of women and girls with disabilities. She is the Founder and President of Women Enabled International.  ...

Armenian history over the last 100 years has been marked by three tragedies that would impact the collective consciousness of the nation: the genocide of 1915; the Spitak earthquake of 1988; and the still unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan. Each event left an indelible imprint on Armenian society, as ...