The research office at our LebensGroß headquarters has been working on political participation for people with disabilities for several years now. 2024 is not only a super election year in Austria, but also worldwide. There will be four elections in Austria. The state parliament will be elected in two federal states, the EU elections will take place in June and the super election year will be concluded by the National Council elections in the fall.
A research report was published back in 2018 confirming that voter turnout among people with disabilities is far below the Austrian average. According to this study, a quarter of those surveyed do not vote at all. Frequently cited reasons for this include limited mobility and a lack of information. The problem is easily explained. The population votes for politicians so that their interests are represented as well as possible. However, if there is a marginalized group that does not vote, it is very likely that they will continue to be given little consideration in the future.
As an organization, we want to change this. In addition to the existing “Political Group”, which meets at regular intervals to discuss important and relevant topics, there will be further offers this year. The Political Group will focus on a previously selected topic at each meeting. The topics are employment, education, climate and health.
The working group serves as a basis for public discussions with well-known politicians, who will be guests on various dates. The aim is to bring politicians and people with disabilities together in a public discussion. This is particularly important because it is the only way to finally give the concerns and interests the space they deserve. All events are broadcasted live and participation from outside is possible using the chat function. The first event in the series took place in April and was well attended and received.
With this initiative, we as an organization are making a valuable contribution to participation in politics and society.