Dream to live in barriers free community.

Political Participation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs): The Barriers and Measures for Inclusive Electoral Process♿ The population of the world 🌍 is estimated at approximately 8 billion people and more than one billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, have some form of disability; and 80% of them live in developing countries. The estimated one billion persons with disabilities globally face many barriers to inclusion and accessibility in many aspects of life. This includes barriers in access to education, employment, healthcare services, transportation, public buildings as well as social and political participation. Political participation is a fundamental right that must be enjoyed by every citizen including persons with disabilities. Participation in the political system enables PWDs to contribute to the decision-making process and also serves as a basis for inclusion in other aspects of society. When PWDs participate in the political system their voice is heard and reflected in policy making and decision-making. That is why, the right to political participation of persons with disabilities is enshrined in various international and regional charters, conventions or treaties as well as national disability acts. However, in many democratic countries, PWDs experience marginalization, deprivation and exclusion from the political system specifically in the electoral process; consequently PWDs may not have accessibility for voting during elections and very few of them stand as candidates for political positions. Even at local or district level, the political participation by PWDs is limited because of several barriers. Therefore, 1- Which Barriers PWDs are Facing in Political Participation? 2- What are the Measures for Inclusive Electoral Process ? 3- Who are the key Actors in Promoting Inclusion of PWDs in Electoral Process?