In late 2018, one small pilot initiative in the election day process changed the story of inclusion in Nigerian democracy. For the first time ever, voters with visual impairments in Osun - a state in southwest Nigeria - cast their ballots, unassisted, using a newly developed Braille Ballot Guide. This Braille Ballot Guide was the result of tireless advocacy by Nigeria’s premier Disabled Persons Organization (DPO), Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), under their campaign, #AccessNigeria: Disability Votes Matter.

More than 1 billion people – approximately 15 percent of the world’s population – experience some form of disability. They are the world’s largest marginalized group, and face significant accessibility and representation challenges that limit or restrict their equal participation in nearly all aspects of society. At the first Global Disability Summit – held last week in London – self-advocates, governments, international institutions and business leaders from around the world convened to raise attention about the scale of disability exclusion and secure new commitments for change.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the peace accords that ended Guatemala’s 36-year internal conflict that deeply divided the country. However, in the two subsequent decades many of the accords’ goals remain to be achieved in critical areas such as rule of law, social justice, and the alleviation of poverty for marginalized groups including women, indigenous people, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) communities.

Without a special traffic light that emits an audible signal, people who are blind or have low vision may risk their lives by the simple act of crossing streets. Such audible signals are expensive, particularly in Moldova, which is Europe’s poorest country. A civic group in Soroca, a city in northern Moldova, didn’t let this stop them. Thanks to their successful advocacy, the quality of life for Soroca’s large community of  blind citizens is improving and inspiring further community involvement.

Identifying the Issues

Morocco has made a number of positive steps recently to protect the rights of people with disabilities, but significant barriers still exist that limit the equal participation of these citizens in the country’s political processes.

An agreement between Paraguay’s Superior National Electoral Tribunal, USAID/Paraguay and Fundación Saraki earlier this month is a big step forward for the inclusion of people with disabilities in Paraguay’s electoral processes. In particular, the agreement aims to ensure the participation of persons with disabilities in the upcoming municipal elections, which are scheduled for November 2015.