iDEM interview with ENIL – Disabled people in political life across Europe: continued challenges and technological opportunities

The disability movement’s motto has evolved from “Nothing about us without us” to “Nothing without us” in recent years, as all political areas affect and should therefore involve disabled people. Digital accessibility tools like iDEM seek to bridge the digital divide and ensure more people with disabilities can participate in political decisions. We interviewed Kamil Goungor, ENIL’s Policy and Movement Support Officer, to learn about the continued challenges faced by disabled people, the role technology plays in political accessibility, and recent encouraging progress.

Listen to the full interview here:

What is ENIL and what does independent living mean?

ENIL is the European Network on Independent Living, a disability-led organisation based in Brussels with members all over Europe focused on advocating for independent living. As a network of disabled people, ENIL works with European institutions on various policy topics, carries out awareness campaigns, provides support to their members at national level, and delivers trainings on disability-related topics, among others.

As Kamil described during our interview:

“Independent living means to have the same range of options and same degree of self-determination like non-disabled people have. Basically, to be able to have choice and control over your life, to be able to decide how I want to live, where I want to live and how I want to do things.”

He added that tools may be required to live independently, such as technological devices, personal assistance or legal support. In a nutshell, Kamil explained that “it means people living in the community in the places they choose and not in segregated facilities.”

A key component of being a part of the community is therefore to participate in local civic and political life with access to support tools adapted to each person’s needs. 

What are the main barriers to political participation that people with disabilities face?

Kamil explained that while almost all disabled people face barriers to participate politically, these vary depending on each person’s disability and individual needs. He outlined four major types of barriers:

• Communication barriers such as inaccessible political information. He noted that sign language, captioning, Easy-to-Read and other forms of communication need to be made available.
• Physical barriers such as voting stations that are not accessible for wheelchair users or voting processes that do not accommodate the needs of blind citizens for example.
• Societal barriers, including stereotypes and stigma perpetuating the idea that disabled people should not be candidates or politicians.
• Legal barriers that do not allow disabled people to participate, going against the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

People with intellectual disabilities especially face legal barriers to vote and decide in several European countries. Inclusion Europe has recently published Inclusion Indicators, which is data showing how every European country limits the rights of people with intellectual disabilities in different areas of life.

What steps do you think that EU policymakers should take to include people with disabilities in their decision-making processes? Do you think that European countries have made progress in recent years?

Kamil shared that to truly lead by example, EU institutions should include disabled people in the co-creation of policies, ensure decisions are in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and employ disabled candidates in different offices and positions.

Kamil also underlined the progress that has been made in recent years, both regarding the rights of disabled people but also within the disability movement itself. He explained that the disability movement’s motto “Nothing about us without us” is now “Nothing without us”, as all areas of life affect disabled people and should therefore involve them.

He exemplified this statement with the case of AI, as he noted that despite it not seeming like a disability topic, it can heavily impact the lives of disabled people. As some forms of AI are based on specific human models, it can exclude disabled people from employment and living fully in the community. On the other hand, AI can also be positively used for accessibility, like in iDEM’s case, where it will be used for text-simplification purposes.

What is the impact of the digital divide on people with disabilities?

As many disabled people either require or greatly benefit from technology to live independently, not having access can therefore be detrimental. Kamil praised the benefits of technology and its progress in recent years, as AI for instance is currently used to power communication tools, voice-activated devices and even home appliances. In short:

 “We need to make sure that technology is available, affordable, but also accessible.”

This article has shown that digital accessibility tools like iDEM’s are necessary in today’s political scene, providing support for disabled people to participate in political life. However, continued challenges remain that require committed political action across Europe.

Thank you ENIL for participating and bringing a positive take on this subject!