Recommendation of the Council of Europe on the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life

People with disabilities should be able to take part in the elections like all the other citizens. That means that elections should be accessible to them. The Council of Europe is a European body working to make sure that all European citizens have equal rights. It did a document to show the governments of European countries what they must do to make sure that people with disabilities have equal chances to take part in the elections as all the other citizens.

On 16 November 2011, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers adopted a recommendation on the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life. The objective of the recommendation is to propose to Member States principles and measures, which would increase the participation of person with disabilities in politics and public life at local, regional, national and international level.

In these terms, the recommendation aims to remove the discrimination and barriers, which deprive vulnerable groups of people, like those with disabilities, from enjoying active citizenship. At the same time, it aims to facilitate the expression of their opinions, as well as their right to vote and stand for election on the grounds of disability.

More precisely, “the Committee of Ministers recommends that the governments of Member States:

1. continue the efforts to achieve the objective ofthe Council of Europe Disability Action Plan as far as  the participation of people with disabilities in political and public life is concerned. They should also monitor and evaluate the implementation of its provisions;

2. take legislative measures in order to facilitate the development of the proper support services to encourage people with disabilities to take part in political and public life as citizens having equal political rights and obligations. That should occur with respect of the principles and measures of: equal opportunities, accessibility, non-discrimination in the exercise of legal capacity, educations and training in democratic participation, including persons with disabilities in decision-making processes etc;

3. initiate or continue work to evaluate the democratic participation of persons with disabilities and its impact at national, regional and local levels, so as to consolidate co-operation among decision-makers, election management bodies, researchers, academic institutions and NGOs in their respective countries in order to secure information and statistics as well as to collect good practices;

4. reinforce their co-operation within the Council of Europe by exchanging good practices and developing intergovernmental activities and networks.This will contribute to the creation of the conditions for the inclusion of people with disabilities in political and public life.

5. integrate this recommendation into their national disability strategies, policies and programmes, translate it into their official language(s) and disseminate it as widely as possible;

6. involve persons with disabilities, including children and young people, through their representative organisations, in disseminating and implementing this recommendation.”

To read the whole recommendation of the Council of Europe, you can follow this link.

Among people with disabilities, those with intellectual disabilities might have the least equal chances to participate in the elections, either as voters or as candidates. Lack of accessible information for people with intellectual disabilities, lack of access to polling stations, lack of awareness among political parties and polling station officials, as well as prejudice about the ability of these people to make decisions are some of the basic factors, which might keep people with intellectual disabilities away from their rights as active citizens. For Inclusion Europe, taking part in political and public life is about being included in society and having the voices of people with intellectual disabilities and their families heard. The idea of an equal, inclusive society, where people with intellectual disabilities will be able to enjoy active citizenship is mirrored in Inclusion Europe’s relevant position paper.