May 26-28, London: Karine Grigoryan, President of the Agate Rights Defense Center for Women with Disabilities, participated in the Cybersecurity, Inclusion and Resilience in Electoral Networks (CIREN) international convening organized by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
During the panel discussion on “Lived Experience, Accessibility and Elections,” Karine Grigoryan highlighted:.
- the importance of recognizing that accessibility and security are interconnected, as inaccessible information environments create opportunities for misinformation to spread,
- the need to involve persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in the design, testing, procurement, and implementation of electoral technologies and cybersecurity responses
- the growing risks of election-related disinformation and manipulative narratives ahead of elections, the increasing use of AI-generated content and fear-based narratives targeting vulnerable groups,
- efforts undertaken to improve electoral accessibility, including cooperation with the Central Electoral Commission to make election-related information and polling station accessibility information more accessible,
- Agate’s easy-to-read voter education, fact-checking, and disinformation awareness materials, as well as trainings conducted across Armenia,
The convening brought together representatives of election management bodies, organizations of persons with disabilities, cybersecurity experts, and technology companies, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Smartmatic, NaviLens, and Pakflatt.
An important meeting was held with representatives of Smartmatic, whose voter identification technology has previously been used in Armenia’s elections. Smartmatic has now developed innovative accessible voting technology that enables persons with different types of disabilities to vote independently, secretly, and with dignity. We hope Armenia will consider procuring and introducing this technology for future elections.
The visit also included a study tour of the Google Accessibility Discovery Center, where participants explored innovative accessibility solutions and technologies that promote digital inclusion and independence for persons with disabilities.