Pacific Regional Disability Rights Dialogue

In May 2016, the first-ever Pacific Regional Disability Rights Dialogue took place in Nadi, Fiji. It was the first region-wide gathering of election management officials and disability rights advocates from across the Pacific.
Man using crutches leans forward to sign a banner
The Pacific Regional Dialogue on Disability Rights was hosted in Nadi, Fiji by the Fijian Elections Office, the Pacific Disability Forum, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), with support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Here, a participant signs a banner affirming his support for the political rights of persons with disabilities in the Pacific.
A busy room shows voters registering to vote, including a women using a wheelchair
Presenters from across Asia and the Pacific shared their challenges, success stories, and efforts to make elections more inclusive for men and women with disabilities. A team from the Samoan Office of the Electoral Commissioner described their work in making elections more inclusive and accessible throughout the election cycle, including the voter registration process.
A Samoan woman sits in front of a computer, simultaneously reading braille and listening
A Samoan disability rights organization, Nuanua O Le Alofa (NOLA), highlighted the need for more inclusive electoral processes in the Pacific, encouraging election officials to adopt more accessible formats for election materials. For example, in this photo, a woman is reading braille and listening to an audio program on a computer. She can now access information that will be helpful to her as a voter and citizen.
Two hands hold up a braille ballot guide and a ballot
Erni Andriani, from the General Network for Disability Access (AGENDA) in Southeast Asia, noted that AGENDA as a regional organization has had great success in promoting political and electoral rights for persons with disabilities. As part of her presentation, she showed a tactile ballot guide that was used in Indonesia's 2014 election.
on the left of a crowd is a man using a wheelchair (Senarath) holding up a sign
Councillor Senarath Attanayake was the first person with a disability to become an elected member in Sri Lanka in 1996. He is one of the longest-serving politicians with a disability. During his presentation he spoke about his pioneering work to support disability rights in his district, and encouraged all persons with disabilities to become engaged with the political process. In the photo above, Sri Lankans with disabilities are advocating for their rights.
Close-up of man using wheelchair speaking into microphone
During his presentation, Nay Lin Soe, who is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Myanmar Independent Living Initiative (MILI), described MILI's work and strategies in improving election accessibility. Using concrete examples of MILI's work, he encouraged Pacific disability rights activists and election officials to collaborate on improving accessibility and inclusion.
two Deaf women place stickers on a poster
A pilot Building Resources in Democracy, Governance, and Elections (BRIDGE) training on Disability Rights and Elections took place on the last day of the conference. EMB and DPO participants worked together to identify barriers to participation of voters with disabilities and inclusion strategies. Here, two Deaf women are organizing disability inclusion activities into different parts of the election cycle.