The Access Nigeria campaign is a PWD led, and targeted campaign that seeks to improve the participation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria’s electoral processes. The campaign seeks to achieve this through evidence-based advocacy to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Assembly, and other public institutions. The other strategies for achieving the goal of this campaign include PWD-targeted voter education and Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaigns to mobilize PWDs to vote during elections.
So far, the advocacy campaign has been able to influence INEC Nigeria to achieve the following:
- Historic deployment of braille ballot guides on a pilot scheme during the September 2018 governorship
elections in Osun
state. And full deployment during the 2019 presidential elections.
- Strengthened deployment and utilization of the Magnifying glasses during the elections beginning from the
Anambra 2017
elections through the 2019 general elections for Blind voters.
- Historic introduction of the Election Day Written Instructions (Form 30 E PWD) on a pilot scale in the Ekiti
July 2018
governorship election, and full deployment during the 2019 general elections for Deaf voters.
- Strengthen observation of the Priority Voting during elections for all PWDs.
IFA is implementing the Access Nigeria: Disability Votes Matter campaign with technical and financial support from the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the British Department for International Development (DFID). Components of the Access Nigeria are funded by VOICE Global through the “Now Us” award winning.
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