Disability and Elections BRIDGE Module

The program is designed to address technical issues in elections, including voter education and inclusion of marginalized groups such as women. However, there is currently no module focused specifically on disability rights. A new module, "Disability Rights and Elections," is being developed to fill this gap. The module will be designed for election stakeholders, including disabled persons' organizations (DPOs), election management bodies, election observers, and civil society organizations. The purpose of the module is to provide actionable recommendations to relevant stakeholders for improving access to elections for people with disabilities. The module will be developed in collaboration with IFES teams in Haiti and Indonesia. The development process involves input from DPOs in Egypt, who participated in a roundtable discussion to provide feedback on the content and design of the module. The discussion focused on the various barriers that people with disabilities can face in the electoral process, including experiences in the May 2014 presidential elections. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) provides a legal framework against discrimination based on disability. The implementation of the CRPD is a key consideration in the development of the disability rights module. The module aims to provide a strong foundation for the development of a democratic state in Egypt, where people with disabilities are included in the electoral process. Fifteen percent of Egypt's population has a disability, which is more than the entire voting population of Australia. The development and enhancement of the disability rights module, along with the training of stakeholders and the implementation of concrete solutions, will help Egypt take steps towards greater inclusion of all its citizens.