The Perkumpulan Inisiatif (INISIATIF), is a membership based non-governmental organisation who envisions to be the National Center for Nations of Leadership. They aim to be a pioneer organisation advocating and organising people to realise their power to improve the lives of marginalised groups.

To realise this, INISIATIF focuses on:

• Producing, reproducing, and practicing new knowledge to promote evidence-based advocacy;
• Encouraging the adoption of policy-making based on local knowledge and practices;
• Encouraging participatory approaches in the implementation of public services towards realising pro-marginalised policies;
• Strengthening civil society’s capacity to promote their socio-economic, political, and cultural rights;
• Actively engaging strategic alliances who can magnify the impact of changes through good governance; and
• Encouraging individuals or groups to occupy strategic positions within the power structure of the state.

Active participation in general election is still a challenge for persons with disabilities in various countries in the world, including Indonesia. In general, it can be said that the turn out of persons with disabilities is always much lower than that of other groups who do not experience physical deprivation.

Persons with disabilities still face various obstacles to fully participating in voting.
The chance to be involved in political activities is a fundamental condition that must exist in a country with a democratic system, including persons with disabilities. This opportunity includes not only voting, but also the right to be elected and represent citizens of other countries and to be involved in electoral bodies.

The right to participate in political activities for persons with disabilities is firmly codified in various international, regional and national laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) since2006, as stated in Article 29 ” [ to give] guarantee the persons with disabilities political rights and the opportunity to enjoy them on an equal basis with others”.

This project is part of an Empowerment Accelerator pilot grant. These grants are for previous Empowerment grantees that would like to deepen and/or continue their empowerment journey. Learnings from the previous project from Perkumpulan Inisiatif in implementing the Youth with Disability Leadership Programme (YwLDP), which reached 100 youth with disabilities and 100 individuals non-disability through research on political opportunity structures are used as a baseline for information.

This project also involves two organisations of persons with disabilities (DPO), namely the Disabilitas Bergerak Indonesia (DBI) and the Disability Access Voter Center (PPUA) along with two electoral institutions in Bandung City.