"This is an asset for all disabled persons in Libya, and I want to thank the HNEC and IFES for this great work that aims to include us in the democratic process of Libya" - member of a disabled persons’ organization.

With the support of USAID and its partner, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Libya’s High National Election Commission (HNEC) launched the first handicapped-accessible website in Libya. This new website is expected to help people with disabilities stay updated and pave the way for improving the inclusion of this minority community in the electoral process.

IFES conducted a five-day training as part of its program to provide technical assistance to Libya’s HNEC) The training, which was held in Tunis in March 2016, brought together 14 participants, including HNEC Information Technology personnel, as well as representatives from organizations for people with disabilities.

The training focused on developing a comprehensive HNEC website through the content management system, WordPress. One of the outcomes of the training is improved accessibility for people with different types of disabilities. For example, the HNEC website will now provide a Text To Speech (TTS) option, as well as automatic content highlighting, which will make the website more user-friendly.

The workshop was organized by IFES Libya and sponsored by USAID.