Support for people with disabilities to participate in politics
Introduction This is a document to support disabled people to participate in politics. About
1 billion people worldwide have a disability. People with disabilities have different support needs.
2 A person with a physical disability has difficulty moving. A person with a physical disability can use a wheelchair. A person with sensory impairments can hardly see.
3 A person with sensory impairments may have difficulty hearing. A person with psychosocial difficulties may feel bad about themselves and the world around them. A person with intellectual disabilities can hardly learn new things.
4 People with disabilities have the same rights as other people. They are called human rights. There is a legal document called the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The convention tells us that people with disabilities have the right to participate in politics and vote.
5 Support for people with disabilities A part of the Convention called Article 29 talks about people with disabilities participating in politics and elections. Part of the Convention, called Article 12, talks about equality before the law for people with disabilities. Article 12 also talks about people with disabilities receiving support in making decisions and exercising their rights. You can participate in politics by voting.
6 You can participate in politics by learning more about elections and politics. You can participate in politics by joining a political party. You can participate in politics by working in an election campaign.
7 You can participate in politics by becoming a candidate in elections. An election candidate is a person who wants to work as a politician. A candidate in an election wants people to vote for him. It can be difficult for people with disabilities to participate in politics. There are several reasons for this. Policy information can be difficult to understand. Sometimes people think that disabled people are not interested in politics. This is called a stereotype. A stereotype is a belief about a group of people. Stereotypes can often be wrong.
8 People with disabilities are often not included in politics. This is called discrimination. Discrimination is when a person or group of people is not treated fairly. There is no information available for people with intellectual disabilities in the field of politics. Sometimes the places where politics is made are inaccessible. People who use wheelchairs or crutches may not be able to enter some policy buildings.
9 People who need support to hear may not be able to hear well enough in places where politics is made. It is important that people with disabilities have the chance to participate in politics. This document explains how people with disabilities can participate in politics.
10 This document explains how political parties and parliament can make politics accessible to people with disabilities. A political party is a group of people who have similar ideas about policies and laws. Parliament is a group of people who make laws. Parliament also decides what policies the country should follow.
11 Political parties Political parties can help people with disabilities participate in politics. Political parties should work with organizations that have information and experience on disability issues. Political parties should work with disability organizations. Disability organizations can help political parties understand what disabled people need. Political parties must work with the Central Election Commission. The Central Election Commission is responsible for the preparation and conduct of the elections. The Central Election Commission helps all political parties to make sure that elections are conducted properly.
12 Political parties should consider all the ways in which they can help disabled people to participate in politics. This is called accessibility assessment. Political parties should have an accessibility policy. An accessibility policy means that there is clear information on how to make access to buildings easier. An accessibility policy means that there is clear information about how to make information easy to understand.
13 This policy should address additional ways to help disabled people from underrepresented groups participate in politics. Political parties may need mentors to help people with disabilities participate in politics. A mentor is a person who gives help and advice. Political parties must ensure that campaign materials are accessible.
14 Political parties must ensure that the places where they meet are accessible to people with physical disabilities. Policy information should be audio and visual. Audio information is information that you can hear. Podcast –a recording that you can listen to at any time. This is a type of audio information. Visual information is information that you can see. A poster or an easy-to-understand document are types of visual information.
15 Audio-visual information contains information that you can hear and see at the same time. Video is a type of audio-visual information. Political parties have an important task in making policy information easy to understand. This ensures that disabled people can make informed policy choices. A political party may decide to have a quota of disabled people for elections. A quota is a certain number of disabled candidates from a political party.
16 Candidates with disabilities do not have to speak only about disability issues. It is important that disabled candidates have support to speak on different issues as well. Staff working for a political party need disability training. Training can help staff work well with people with disabilities. Training can help staff understand how to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are the things people can do to make it easier for people with disabilities to participate in politics.
17 Parliament Democracy is a very important part of governance. Democracy means that the people of a country vote to elect a parliament or a president. Governance means that Parliament makes laws and policies for the country. It is important that Parliament includes all people in governance. It is important for Parliament to include people with disabilities in governance.
18 Parliament should consider all ways in which they can help disabled people to be part of government. Parliament should work with organizations of people with disabilities. Disability organizations can help Parliament work better to include people with disabilities. Parliament must ensure that laws guarantee the rights of people with disabilities.
19 Some disabled people need support to make decisions. This is called supported decision making. Parliament must ensure that the laws of the land do not take away a person's right to participate in politics. Article 12 of the Convention says that Parliament must support disabled people to vote. Article 29 of the Convention also tells us that Parliament must support disabled people to stand for election.
20 Parliament should support people with disabilities to participate in politics. Article 4 of the Convention says that Parliament must receive views from people with disabilities on disability-related topics. Parliament should also get views from people with disabilities on other topics. It is important to remember that people with disabilities are interested in many different subjects. There are many accessible ways to get the opinions of people with disabilities.
21 Information can be provided in audio and visual formats. Information can be provided in an easy to understand format. Information can be given in accessible places. The information can be put on the internet so that people who cannot travel can also be included. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that persons with disabilities should have equal opportunities to participate in all areas of life.
22 Conclusion Participation in politics is part of the lives of people with disabilities. Political parties and Parliament can do a lot to help disabled people participate in politics. The participation of people with disabilities in politics will ensure a fairer and more accessible world for all people.
23 This document follows European standards for ease of reading and understanding of information. Learn more at:
https://easy-to-read.eu
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