On 7th September, the EUD Policy Manager, Alexandre Bloxs, attended a focus group meeting for the Preparation of the Guide of good electoral practice addressing the participation of citizens with disabilities in the electoral process. This meeting was organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Justice and Consumer (DG JUST).
The Commission announced in the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 that it would establish, in 2023, in close cooperation with Member States in the framework of the European Cooperation Network on Elections, a guide of good electoral practice addressing participation of citizens with disabilities in the electoral process, as part of the Commission’s efforts to facilitate the exercise of electoral rights.
In this framework, the Commission organized a focus group with various European organisations of persons with disabilities, including EUD. Alexandre took the opportunity of this meeting to highlight the various issues deaf people are facing when exercising their right to political participation, in line with Art. 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The rights to political participation encompass both the right to vote during elections, and the right to stand for elections as a candidate. The main issue faced by deaf people is the lack of accessibility to election-related information such as political parties’ programs or procedures to vote in the national sign language. Furthermore, when elected, deaf people face tremendous challenges and administrative burdens when it comes to recruiting professional national sign language interpreters.
EUD also raised the necessity for political parties and EU Member States to actively consult with National Associations of the Deaf and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities when initiatives concerning deaf people and persons with disabilities are to be adopted.
EUD applauds the initiative of the European Commission to design the guide of good electoral practices and is looking forward to disseminating among its network once it is published.
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