disability community ‒ the DPO coalition presented their policy recommendations and candidates discussed their own disability platforms.
The dialogues received widespread coverage in
national media, which raised the profile of disability issues and helped position the coalition
for ongoing engagement with elected officials.
DPOs in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic
have conducted similar outreach with candidates.
Civil society organizations often promote a code
of conduct for political parties and candidates
contesting elections to generate accountability
on the part of these political actors. Codes of
conduct encourage political parties and candidates to respect regulations governing the electoral process and prevent fraud and manipulation. The inclusion of DPOs in the creation of
a code of conduct provides an opportunity for
additional pledges to make campaigns accessible to all citizens. Additionally, the existence
of a code of conduct creates space for DPOs to
hold officials accountable on accessibility and
inclusion issues.
Section 3
Codes of Conduct
A young man in Sierra Leone attends a public event in support
of the code of conduct for political parties that included provisions on disability inclusion.
Debates
Debates are one of the most important
ways citizens can learn about different
candidates and make an informed choice
on Election Day. International donors and
implementing organizations can support
EMBs by providing guidance on how to
make debates accessible to persons with
disabilities. For example, in Guatemala, the
EMB provided professional sign language
interpreters for debates so deaf and hardof-hearing constituents could follow on TV.
DPOs should connect with the organizers
of debates so they can provide input on the
organization of the venue and information,
as well as provide suggested questions for
the candidates relevant to issues important Televised debates between presidential candidates in Serbia in 2012
featured a sign language interpreter.45
to the disability community.46
46 Reč na reč: Debata kandidata za predsednika Srbije 2012.” Radio-televizija Srbije, June 16, 2012. <http://www.
rts.rs/page/tv/sr/story/22/RTS Satelit/1103434/Reč na reč: Debata kandidata za predsednika Srbije 2012.html>.
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