People with disabilities

People with disabilities are still too often excluded from political and public life, including as voters, candidates and decision-makers. ODIHR works with parliaments, political parties and civil society to remove these barriers and ensure they can participate fully and equally.

We help make democratic institutions more inclusive through practical guidance, technical expertise and capacity-building. This includes improving access to elections and strengthening representation, as well as supporting institutional reform to advance accessibility and inclusion within democratic governance.

Our work is guided by the Advisory Panel on the Political Participation of Persons with Disabilities, an independent group of leading experts from across the OSCE region, most of whom identify as persons with disabilities. Their expertise helps ODIHR support participating States in making political and public life more accessible and inclusive.

Parliamentary disability inclusion assessments help national parliaments examine how effectively persons with disabilities are included in parliamentary life.

They look at areas such as representation, lawmaking, oversight, accessibility and engagement with persons with disabilities and their representative organizations. The aim is to identify barriers and good practices, and help parliaments take practical steps towards becoming more inclusive institutions.

In the forthcoming Guidelines on advancing disability-inclusive parliaments: an assessment methodology and insights from the OSCE region, developed by ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and expected to be launched in October 2026.

Developed by ODIHR with its Advisory Panel on the Political Participation of Persons with Disabilities, the Recommendations on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to Participate in Political and Public Life in the OSCE Region also known as the Dublin Recommendations set out practical steps to help people with disabilities take part fully in political and public life.

They are intended for governments, parliaments, lawmakers, political parties and election management bodies across the OSCE region. They turn OSCE commitments into practical action, helping make elections, political institutions and decision-making more accessible, inclusive and representative.