Inclusion of Persons With Disabilities in Electoral Processes

The United Nations Integrated Electoral Assistance Team (IEAT) in South Sudan, working alongside the National Elections Commission (NEC), recently conducted a four-day BRIDGE modular workshop focused on “Equal Access: Inclusion of Persons With Disabilities in Electoral Processes.” This initiative brought together diverse electoral stakeholders to tackle the pressing challenge of ensuring meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in South Sudan’s democratic processes.

The workshop reinforced a crucial understanding: electoral accessibility extends far beyond legal compliance – it represents a fundamental democratic principle ensuring all citizens can exercise their voting rights and participate fully in political life. Through dynamic interactive sessions, hands-on assessments, and collaborative planning exercises, participants gained essential knowledge and practical tools to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from engaging in electoral processes.

The training emphasized the collective responsibility shared by all stakeholders, from the NEC and State High Electoral Commissions (SHEC) to civil society organizations and disability rights advocates, in fostering an inclusive electoral environment that upholds democratic values of equality and universal participation.

Held in Juba from June 10-13, the workshop was expertly facilitated by BRIDGE international facilitators Natia Kashakashvili and Shalva Tskhakaya, alongside with national co-facilitators Nyilueth Malou Malek and Ahon Malou Lueth Makeny. The session welcomed 27 participants (20 male, 7 female), demonstrating strong engagement from South Sudan’s electoral community.

The workshop was designed to equip participants with both theoretical understanding and practical skills across twelve key areas, including establishing foundational knowledge of disability inclusion principles, analyzing accessibility barriers throughout the electoral cycle, exploring reasonable accommodations within existing frameworks, and developing stakeholder-specific inclusion strategies.

Participants also examined successful international models, built institutional capacity for embedding inclusion practices, conducted practical polling location assessments, explored technological solutions, and created collaborative roadmaps for advancing electoral accessibility in South Sudan. A particular emphasis was placed on fostering sustainable partnerships between electoral stakeholders and disability rights organizations.

Participants’ Feedback

Feedback from the workshop revealed overwhelmingly positive responses, with participants praising the interactive methodology and expert facilitation techniques. The dynamic approach – featuring group discussions, energizers, and strategic participant reshuffling – kept everyone engaged while creating valuable networking opportunities essential for future electoral project development.

Content-wise, participants found exceptional value in sessions covering reasonable accommodation requirements, barrier mapping across electoral cycles, stakeholder roles and responsibilities, and the interconnections between different barrier types (institutional, communication, environmental, and attitudinal). Practical tools such as accessibility assessments, polling center audits, success story analyses, and action planning were identified as particularly valuable takeaways.

The comprehensive materials, including effective video components and hands-on assignments, were consistently described as excellent and transformative. Many participants reported gaining significantly broader knowledge about disability inclusion than they possessed before the workshop, with several committing to share this knowledge within their organizations.