![](/sites/default/files/styles/publication_1440x420/public/migrate/learn-more-feat-img.jpg?itok=GdB2FzbA)
Learn More: How IFES Promotes Disability Rights
Did you know?
- 15 percent of the world's population has a disability—that’s over 1 billion people
- 80 percent of people with disabilities live in poverty
- Women with disabilities comprise nearly three-quarters of all persons with disabilities in low and middle-income countries
- Political participation is a human right enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
How does IFES support access and inclusion?
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) believes every person deserves a vote and a voice, and that dynamic democracies flourish when all groups of society are represented. That’s why in over 145 countries, IFES empowers persons with disabilities to participate in democratic processes as voters, candidates, poll workers, election observers, advocates and leaders by:
- Conducting civic and voter education activities via diverse media, including face-to-face, radio, social media and street theater;
- Providing technical assistance to government officials on how to implement international standards, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
- Empowering civil society organizations to advocate for equal rights; and
- Assisting citizen-led efforts to define best practices through the development of global tools such as the manual Equal Access: How to Include Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Processes and the online resource ElectionAccess.org.
Who does IFES support?
Meet some of the individuals IFES has worked with to promote disability rights:
In Europe and Eurasia:
![](https://www.ifes.org/sites/default/files/learn-europe-eurasia-thumb.jpg)
Read a letter from a Member of Parliament in Kyrgyzstan, thanking IFES for providing tactile ballot guides for voters with visual disabilities.
In the Americas:
![](https://www.ifes.org/sites/default/files/learn-more-americas-thumb.jpg)
Explore how IFES supported a team of Haitians with disabilities to conduct the country’s first election access observation mission.
In Africa:
![](https://www.ifes.org/sites/default/files/learn-more-africa-thumb.jpg)
Read about IFES' work to build election accessibility for Nigeria’s historic 2015 elections.
In Asia:
![](https://www.ifes.org/sites/default/files/learn-more-asia-thumb.jpg)
Celebrate South Asian disability rights advocates’ key advocacy win.
In the Middle East and North Africa:
![](https://www.ifes.org/sites/default/files/learn-more-mena-thumb.jpg)
Learn more about political participation by women with disabilities in areas affected by conflict.
How can you partner with IFES to make a difference?
Our goal is to raise $10,000 by December 31, 2015 for IFES’ global programming to politically empower persons with disabilities. Click here to make a gift, and use your voice to help others find theirs.
For more information, please contact Lauren Terrell at [email protected].