Civic Participation

In Nicaragua, all persons with disabilities have the right to vote, pursuant to Law 331 on elections. That law also provides procedures for allowing persons with disabilities to vote, stating that "any individual with physical impairments may be accompanied by a person he or she trusts in order to exercise his or her right to vote. This will be attested in the respective record. Where the physical impairment affects the upper limbs the fingerprint will be replaced by a permanent ink print taken from any other visible part of the body, which will also be attested in the respective record."¹⁴

Persons with disabilities find it extremely difficult to exercise their right to vote because of the barriers that hinder access to polling stations. Polling stations are not typically accessible to wheelchair users, and neither sign-language interpreters for persons who are deaf nor alternative format ballots for persons who are blind or visually-impaired are available. Leaders of disability organizations estimate that only 40% of polling stations are accessible.¹⁵

The Election Act contains no restrictions preventing persons with disabilities from holding public office. in 2004, two persons with mobility disabilities are in high-level positions in the government: the President of the National Lottery, and a congressman.

Inclusion

Communication

The National Library of Nicaragua does not contain Braille materials, and official documents are not translated into Braille. One small library, financially supported by the Ministry of Culture, does contain some Braille materials although the collection does not include public documents. No other alternative format texts are readily available for persons who are blind. People with visual disabilities can request material from NGO's serving this sector, but requests are not always granted.

Nicaragua's mass media are inaccessible to persons with hearing and/or visual disabilities. News broadcasts do not include sign-language interpreting or close-ups for viewers with hearing impairments.

At present, there is no established method for persons with hearing or speech impairments to communicate with the authorities in the event of a natural disaster, emergency or criminal assault. The Nicaraguan Association of the Deaf (ANSNIC), working in coordination with the regional courts, provides sign-language interpreting services to victims of abuse and other criminal acts. At the national level, human resources dedicated to this end are scarce.

14. Law 331, "Election Act," sec. 119, La Gaceta [Official Gazette], 24 January 2002.

15. Panel discussion with leaders of disability organizations, panel facilitated by author.