Civic Participation

Civic participation encompasses the activities through which individuals engage in the democratic process and public life, including voting, attending public meetings, contacting elected officials, and serving on boards or committees. For people with disabilities, barriers to civic participation include inaccessible voting systems, physically inaccessible polling places and government buildings, inaccessible government websites and documents, and communication barriers in public forums. Ensuring equal civic participation is both a fundamental democratic principle and a legal requirement under disability rights legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Help America Vote Act.