Organising for voting rights of people with disabilities in Lebanon: reflections for activists

Abstract

Purpose

Through a reflection on a recent voting rights campaign for people with disabilities in Lebanon, the article aims to contribute to a body of literature that seeks to challenge the marginalisation of people with disabilities; and aims to share our reflections with others interested in deeper thinking on the global impacts on their day‐to‐day work.

Design/methodology/approach

The article begins with a background discussion of the Lebanese context and the voting rights campaign, followed by an analysis of rights‐based work through a discussion of key issues faced by community activists.

Findings

The analysis highlights the impact of global forces on local grassroots work through the following issues: formalisation of relationships between national government organisations (NGOs); professionalisation within NGOs; contentious dealings with the state; the meanings and uses of diversity and international political relations.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of published studies on the disability‐rights movement in the Arab region; more specifically, the article provides a critical reflection on the changes facing the movement in Lebanon, where there are no published studies on the topic. This article would be of value to activists in other parts of the world interested in the changes facing activism on disability rights or other issues.

Citation

Wehbi, S. and El‐Lahib, Y. (2007), "Organising for voting rights of people with disabilities in Lebanon: reflections for activists", Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 26 No. 5, pp. 449-464. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610150710756658