As part of a concerted effort to promote civic education and engagement in Georgia, IFES partnered with international and Georgian professors and experts to develop and publish a course book to accompany its ongoing civic education course. Both the book and course are titled demokratia da mokalakeoba (democracy and citizenship).
One important part of inclusion is making sure that the history and role of persons with disabilities are not ignored. At the beginning of the course reader, there are six different scenarios showing how active citizenship made a positive difference. One example focuses on the experience of persons with disabilities in the United States, where they advocated for their rights and eventually got the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a landmark disability rights law, passed. This example of disability mainstreaming is also supported by a section in the reader that focuses explicitly on the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as chapters on the rights of ethnic minorities and gender equality.
The course book, now available in Georgian and English languages, has been distributed to students, professors and others interested in civics. It will be made available to the general public at the National Library of Georgia.