News

2 April 2026

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva hosts a discussion forum dedicated to the voting rights of people with sensory disabilities, on the topic “Accessible Electoral Environment: Information and Technology Solutions for Voters with Visual and Hearing Impairments.”

The event will take place on 3 April 2026 (Friday) at 10:00 a.m. in the large conference room on the 2^nd floor of the Ombudsman Institution – Sofia, 22 George Washington Street.

The forum is dedicated to safeguarding the constitutional right to vote of every Bulgarian citizen. On the eve of the upcoming parliamentary elections, the forum will discuss the readiness of government institutions and local authorities to ensure an accessible electoral environment and adequate voting conditions for people with disabilities. The focus will be on the need for accessible information, digital solutions, and physical aids to guarantee the secrecy of the vote and the right to an informed and independent choice.

The discussion will focus on options for accessible solutions for blind and visually impaired voters, including Braille templates and audio instructions for machine voting, providing sign language interpretation and video instructions for deaf and hard-of-hearing voters, as well as conducting information campaigns in accessible formats and training polling station election commissions.

The event will be attended by representatives of the Central Election Commission, the Ministry of E-Government, as well as experts from non-governmental organisations working in the field of the rights of people with disabilities—from the Union of the Blind in Bulgaria; the Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria; the National Association of the Deaf-Blind in Bulgaria; the National Community Center for the Blind “Louis Braille 1928”; the “Horizons” Foundation, and others.

During the discussion, a study will be presented highlighting best practices for accessible voting in countries such as Estonia, Ireland, the United States, Australia, and others.