INTRODUCTION

Political activism and public participation in decision-making processes has long been recognised as a vital pre-condition for the development of democratic and pluralistic societies. It has been given a prominent role in a number of legally and politically binding documents, adopted during the last few years by such organisations as Council of Europe, European Union (EU), UN and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Most recently, ensuring responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels has been recognised as part of one of the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Persons with disabilities form approximately one billion of the world population. Historically this significant part of the society has been predominantly seen as service receivers and patients, rather than active members of their communities, capable of contributing to the society and representing their own interests. While the recent years have marked a paradigm shift in the way persons with disabilities are seen, their representation in political and public life remains disproportionately low across the EU and wider region due to legal, social, economic, physical and other barriers, which continue to prevent many citizens from exercising their democratic rights.