On May 19, 2022, a Training Workshop for Representatives of Public Associations on Issues of Persons with Disabilities was held at the CRC

On May 19, 2022, the Central Referendum Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan continued a series of training workshops in offline and online formats. This time the workshop was held for representatives of public associations on issues of persons with disabilities. The event was attended by 150 people.

The purpose of the workshop was to explain the legal basis for organising a referendum, the draft Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Amendments and Additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan,” the procedure for campaigning before the republican referendum, informing about the key principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as discussing issues to ensure the implementation of the rights of disabled citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan during the republican referendum.

The main issues included in the program of the workshop were devoted to the peculiarities of organising a republican referendum, taking into account decisions for persons with disabilities.

The training workshop was attended by members of the CRC, a representative of the UN Development Program in Kazakhstan, members of the working group under the CRC of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities, representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, justice, as well as public associations of persons with disabilities.

Representatives of regional NGOs for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, members of territorial commissions and representatives of local executive bodies responsible for working with people with disabilities participated in the training event in the videoconferencing mode as well.

In his welcoming speech to the participants of the workshop, the moderator of the event – member of the Central Referendum Commission Shavkhat Utemissov noted that one of the most important tasks of the CRC is the implementation of all necessary conditions for ensuring the rights of citizens with disabilities. Since 2017, the Working Group on Ensuring the Electoral Rights of the Disabled has been functioning under the Central Election Commission. Thus, the CRC is carrying out systematic work in this direction.

The issue of providing conditions for persons with disabilities during the republican referendum was considered at the second meeting of the CRC on May 6 this year.

Local executive bodies were instructed to take necessary measures to ensure conditions for persons with disabilities at the referendum polling stations in accordance with the Instructions for equipping the voting premises at the polling station, voting precinct, approved by the Resolution of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan (dated October 23, 2012 No. 21/83) to exercise their voting rights.

Thus, according to the information provided by akimats of regions, cities of republican significance and the capital, out of 10,013 referendum precincts, the vast majority are equipped with ramps and tactile signs. Almost all of them are provided with voting booths, taking into account the needs of citizens using wheelchairs.

It was instructed to keep under control the issues of readiness of polling stations for the voting day, including additionally working out measures for the convenience of citizens with disabilities, such as invataxi, the involvement of sign language interpreters, and others.

Closer to the voting day, the territorial commissions of the referendum will provide reports on the readiness of the polling stations and the measures taken. After the referendum, an analysis will be made of creating conditions at the sites, taking into account the needs of citizens with disabilities.

At the upcoming referendum, it is planned to continue the practice of informing citizens with disabilities: preparation of informational and mobilisation audio and video clips (video clips with sign language translation); all audio and video clips will be posted on the website of the Central Referendum Commission; production of an audio version of the ballot, after listening to which citizens with visual impairments of the ballot can use a stencil (slots are provided in place of the voting squares) to fill out the ballot on their own.

From May 20 this year, inspection trips of members of the Central Commission to the regions will be held to check the readiness of polling stations for voting, including the provision of conditions for citizens with disabilities and special needs when voting.

Deputy Permanent Representative of the UN Development Program in Kazakhstan Vitaly Vremish, member of the working group under the CRC of the Republic of Kazakhstan on ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities, deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Lyazzat Kaltayeva, Chairman of the Committee for Labour, Migration and Social Protection of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerbol Nurgaliyev, Director of the Department of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nazken Zhamaladin, Chairman of the “Society for Support of Citizens with Disabilities with the Musculoskeletal System Impairment “Arba” NGO, Deputy of the West Kazakhstan Regional Maslikhat Gulmira Batpakulova, Founder of “Ramp OK” LLP, Deputy of the Maslikhat of Aktobe Shakhan Zhuldasbayev, as well as other representatives of public associations of the disabled, local executive bodies also spoke at the event.

Representatives of public associations for the protection of the rights of people with disabilities positively noted the work of the Central Referendum Commission on the distribution of informational and explanatory videos, coverage of all meetings with the obligatory provision of sign language translation. They stressed that this experience was applied in previous electoral campaigns.

At the end of the workshop, Shavkhat Utemissov, a member of the Central Referendum Commission, called on all public associations to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities to make their constructive proposals for the local executive bodies to take additional measures to equip the precincts.

The training workshop was broadcast online on the You Tube channel and the official website of the Central Referendum Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan https://www.election.gov.kz/rus/news/releases/index.php?ID=6859&v=mobile