InEvo – Views International

The “Accessibility Barriers in Democratic Participation” report is out!

Giulia D'Agnolo — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 09:45:06 +0000

Marginalized youth often encounter significant discrimination and barriers to social integration, which limit their participation in democratic processes. These challenges underscore the urgent need for non-formal learning opportunities that empower young people, build their confidence, and encourage democratic engagement. Disadvantaged groups, particularly youth with disabilities, continue to show low levels of political participation. This is largely due to persistent accessibility issues, especially during elections.

As part of the ‘Inclusive Evolution 2024’ project, we collaborated with Asociatia Babilon Travel (Romania) and Eesti People to People (Estonia) to produce a comparative report called “Accessibility Barriers in Democratic Participation”. This report, based on the findings from questionnaires and individual interviews with people with disabilities who have participated in elections in one of the three countries, explores the challenges they face in engaging with democratic processes, particularly voting, focusing on the experience of persons with sensory and motor disabilities. It provides a comparative analysis of the experiences of voters with sensory and motor disabilities in Romania, Estonia, and Belgium, highlighting the common barriers that limit their participation.

The study highlights three primary barriers to democratic participation:

Physical Barriers: Many polling stations lack the necessary infrastructure to accommodate individuals with mobility impairments.
Communicational Barriers: Electoral materials are often inaccessible, making it difficult for those with visual or hearing impairments to engage fully in the voting process.
Attitudinal Barriers: The lack of properly trained election staff often leads to misunderstandings or mistreatment of individuals with disabilities at polling stations.

In all three countries, the research found common issues with inaccessible voting materials, insufficiently equipped polling stations, and the need for better-trained election staff to address the specific needs of voters with disabilities.

Recommendations

The report stresses the importance of implementing assistive technologies and adopting accessible voting procedures to ensure that all citizens, regardless of ability, can participate in democratic processes. These measures aim to create a more inclusive and equitable voting environment across Europe.

To achieve this, collaborative efforts and knowledge-sharing among European countries are essential. By working together, European nations can develop policies that allow individuals with disabilities to exercise their democratic rights independently and with dignity.

Next Steps: Advocacy and Policy Reform

The findings and recommendations from the Accessibility Barriers in Democratic Participation report will be shared with national institutions, the European Parliament, and other relevant European bodies. The goal is to advocate for policy improvements that will foster a more inclusive and accessible democratic system across Europe.

Promoting greater accessibility in democratic participation is a crucial step toward ensuring that every citizen has the opportunity to contribute to the future of their communities and countries. By addressing these barriers, we can build a more just and inclusive society for all.

Read the report

Accessibility Barriers in Democratic Participation – English (PDF)
Accessibility Barriers in Democratic Participation – English (Word)
Accessibility Barriers in Democratic Participation – Français (PDF)
Accessibility Barriers in Democratic Participation – Français (Word)

Connecting for inclusion and participation: the InEvo 2024 Partnership Networking Conference

Giulia D'Agnolo — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 07:18:37 +0000

Within the framework of the EU co-funded Inclusive Evolution (InEvo) 2024 initiative, the VIEWS team, along with our ESC volunteer Patricia, attended the Partnership Networking Conference from 13 to 15 July in the charming Albanian capital, Tirana.

The three-day event was organised by the Romanian NGO Asociația Babilon Travel to bring together long-standing partners active in the Erasmus+/ESC Programmes, as well as in local, national and international projects.

At the Partnership Networking Conference, attendees had the opportunity to strengthen their cooperation through engaging sessions which included partners’ presentations and target groups, best practices developed in recent years, productive panel discussions on the current organisations’ needs and expectations, and group activities aimed to design effective project concept notes in the field of youth, higher and adult education, VET, and volunteering mobilities.

One of the key highlights was the discussion of each organisation’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT Analysis) in an open and supportive environment. Each partner shared their useful approaches and methods for overcoming challenges and actively suggested ways to improve teamwork.

We highly appreciated the engagement, motivation, effort and commitment demonstrated by the partners, as their specific actions prioritise addressing their target groups’ needs. We were also pleasantly surprised that everyone stepped out of their comfort zone to contribute and engage with topics related to digital transition, fighting climate change, active participation in democratic life, and inclusion and diversity, even when their organisations did not specifically focus on all priorities.

Furthermore, we could rely on the valuable contributions of our ESC volunteer, who provided suitable and on-point remarks.

Patricia, our ESC volunteer, took part in a PBA activity for the first time. Her insightful observations brought a new perspective into the event, offering first-hand testimony of the impact of an adapted ESC project, as well as thorough and well-informed points of view on key topics such as participation, inclusion and diversity. She shared with us her personal experience at the Partnership Networking Conference in Tirana:

“I was very curious to finally visit Albania, as I had never been there and I often wondered what it was like there. I was very pleased to find welcoming and open-minded people who were happy to offer support.

The conference was a great opportunity for me to grasp the grounds of project design, exchange opinions and experiences with other organisations engaged in youth work, and even expand my language skills. I really enjoyed being able to contribute in representing VIEWS International, our activities and my experience as a volunteer in an adapted ESC project, and to learn more about the other organisations’ work and values. I have also found it useful to learn how to draft and implement a project from start to finish, as well as the steps to build a successful project.

Despite the challenge of having to speak in public in a language that I understand well but that I’m still learning to master, I was happy to bring my contribution, share my experience and support my colleagues in all the activities”

Attending this partnership-building activity with Asociația Babilon Travel (Romania), Peace Volunteering Network (Albania), Council for Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency – SSPMD (North Macedonia), Karabaǧlar Governorship Türkiye (Türkiye) and Eesti People to People (Estonia) encouraged us to further involved in projects tackling contemporary challenges faced by youth with fewer opportunities. Lastly, it also motivated us to explore new ways to advocate for equal rights for all in new international activities and collaborations.

New Inclusive Evolution 2024 research: fill in our questionnaire!

Giulia D'Agnolo — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 10:58:34 +0000

(Frans en Nederlands onderaan)

ENGLISH

The European and federal elections have just ended, and we need your support for a national study that will be part of a comparative research exploring the situation in different European countries. We want to understand the barriers that people with disabilities experience when voting and discover best practices for making democratic participation more inclusive and accessible.

As part of the Inclusive Evolution (InEvo) 2024 project, co-funded by the European Union in cooperation with Asociația Babilon Travel (Romania) and Eesti People to People (Estonia), VIEWS International aims to identify and address the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in exercising their democratic rights in Belgium.To do so, we are collecting the perspectives and experiences at the polling stations of persons who:

Have a sensory or motor impairment
Have voted in Belgium in any election (European, federal, regional, administrative, or referendum).

Share your experience with us! Fill out our short, 2-minute InEvo survey by Sunday, 7 July. The questionnaires are available in English, French, and Dutch:

English: https://forms.gle/RhZMxeCvD4QLnKKu8
French: https://forms.gle/8nsaEGUAqqTRToXVA
Dutch: https://forms.gle/GugLTYstJY649zmRA

Would you like to tell us more about your experience? We are looking for 10 people who want to share their perspective in an interview. Contact us at office@viewsinternational.eu!

We also encourage you to share this email with anyone who might be interested. Help us make democracy more accessible for everyone in Belgium!

FRANÇAIS

Les élections européennes et fédérales viennent de se terminer, et nous avons besoin de votre soutien pour une étude nationale qui fera partie d’une recherche comparative explorant la situation dans différents pays européens. Nous voulons comprendre les obstacles que rencontrent les personnes en situation de handicap lorsqu’elles votent et ainsi découvrir les meilleures pratiques pour rendre la participation démocratique plus inclusive et accessible.

Dans le cadre du projet Inclusive Evolution (InEvo) 2024, cofinancé par l’Union européenne en coopération avec Asociația Babilon Travel (Roumanie, coordinateur) et Eesti People to People (Estonie), VIEWS International vise à identifier et à relever les défis auxquels sont confrontées les personnes en situation de handicap dans l’exercice de leurs droits démocratiques en Belgique.Pour ce faire, nous recueillons les perspectives et les expériences des personnes qui se rendent aux bureaux de vote et qui:

Ont une déficience sensorielle ou motrice
Ont voté en Belgique lors d’une élection (européenne, fédérale, régionale, administrative ou pour un référendum).

Partagez votre expérience avec nous! Remplissez notre courte enquête InEvo de 2 minutes avant le dimanche 7 juillet. Les questionnaires sont disponibles en anglais, français et néerlandais:

Anglais: https://forms.gle/RhZMxeCvD4QLnKKu8
Français: https://forms.gle/8nsaEGUAqqTRToXVA
Néerlandais: https://forms.gle/GugLTYstJY649zmRA

Souhaitez-vous nous en dire plus sur votre expérience? Nous recherchons 10 personnes qui souhaitent partager leur point de vue dans le cadre d’un entretien en ligne. Contactez-nous à office@viewsinternational.eu!

Nous vous encourageons également à partager cet e-mail avec toute personne pouvant être intéressée. Aidez-nous à rendre la démocratie plus accessible pour tous en Belgique!

NEDERLANDS

De Europese en federale verkiezingen zijn net voorbij, en we hebben jouw steun nodig voor een nationale studie die deel zal uitmaken van een vergelijkend onderzoek naar de situatie in verschillende Europese landen. We willen de barrières begrijpen die mensen met een handicap ervaren bij het stemmen en de beste praktijken ontdekken om de democratische participatie inclusiever en toegankelijker te maken.

Als onderdeel van het Inclusive Evolution (InEvo) 2024 project, mede gefinancierd door de Europese Unie in samenwerking met Asociația Babilon Travel (Roemenië) en Eesti People to People (Estland), streeft VIEWS International ernaar de uitdagingen waarmee personen met een handicap worden geconfronteerd bij het uitoefenen van hun democratische rechten in België te identificeren en aan te pakken.Om dit te doen, verzamelen we de perspectieven en ervaringen bij de stembureaus van personen die:

Een zintuiglijke of motorische beperking hebben
In België hebben gestemd bij een verkiezing (Europees, federaal, regionaal, administratief of referendum).

Deel je ervaring met ons! Vul onze korte InEvo-enquête van 2 minuten in voor Zondag 7 juli. De vragenlijsten zijn beschikbaar in het Engels, Frans en Nederlands:

Engels: https://forms.gle/RhZMxeCvD4QLnKKu8
Frans: https://forms.gle/8nsaEGUAqqTRToXVA
Nederlands: https://forms.gle/GugLTYstJY649zmRA

Wil je ons meer vertellen over je ervaring?We zijn op zoek naar 10 mensen die hun perspectief in een interview willen delen. Neem contact met ons op via office@viewsinternational.eu!

We moedigen je ook aan deze e-mail te delen met iedereen die mogelijk geïnteresseerd is. Help ons de democratie toegankelijker te maken voor iedereen in België!