Political citizenship for all? Local political representation by disabled people Ingrid Guldvik Lillehammer University College

Why political representation by disabled people? Social representation – a mirror of the society Representation by social groups (cultural practice, specific needs/characteristics, marginalised/excluded) (Iris M. Young 2000) Representation will enhance and enlarge democracy

What do we know? Political behaviour among disabled people has received little attention Lower political participation due to –Problems with access –Impairments create limits –Services are not adapted for participation in public life

Varying political participation among disabled people Men participate more than women Younger persons participate more than older people Higher education, higher participation Persons who are active in other areas are also more active in politics Persons with more extensive networks are more active than persons with smaller networks Persons with severe impairments participate less than people with less severe impairments Participation increase if disabled people experience that politicians are concerned with relevant topics

The Norwegian context Norway has 430 municipalities and 18 counties Municipalities administer a significant amount of the public budget allotted to welfare services Municipal councils are directly elected in a general election every fourth year

The empirical study A survey in 74 municipalities in 4 counties in Norway Answers from 767 (58 %) representatives in the local councils

Under-representation in local politics 14 % state that they have one or more impairments (109 out of 767) 10 % define themselves as disabled (75 persons) In public statistics 17 % of the population declare themselves as disabled

Research questions Why are disabled people under-represented in local political assemblies? –Because of lack of material resources; like physical accessibility and organising of meetings? –Because of lack of recognition/respect; like specific expectations to the disabled representatives’ work performance and interests in topics concerning disability?

Social justice – two dimensions Parity of participation - requires social arrangements that permit all (adult) members of society to interact with one another as peers –Redistribution – requires distribution of material resources to ensure participants’ independence and ‘voice’ –Recognition - requires institutionalised patterns of cultural value that express equal respect for all participants and ensure equal opportunity to achieve social esteem (Nancy Fraser 2003)

How is the physical accessibility adapted for people with disabilities? Per cent Secretary of executive board Disabled repr. Non disabled repr. High degr Parking Elevators Ramps Toilets Meeting rooms Door opener513233

To what degree does the organising of meetings take into account the needs of disabled people? Secretary of executive board Disabled representatives High degree Accessibility to meeting rooms6031 Accessibility to speaker’s platform5026 Transport (meetings, inspections)5733 Sufficient number of breaks5218 Light in meeting rooms4761 Sound/acoustics in meeting rooms4417 Assistance4712 Duration of meetings4542 Indoor climate in meeting rooms4119 Sign language and interpretation218

Disabled representatives’ experiences of expectations to their own work performance and non-disabled representatives’ actually expectations. Per cent Disabled representativesNon-disabled representatives ”Most people" Other in one own’s party Other represen- tatives Lower than other representatives Same as other representatives Higher than other representatives Sum100 N = 74 (disabled) og N = 620 (non-disabled)

Disabled representatives’ experiences of expectations to their interest in topics concerning “disability” and non-disabled representatives’ actually expectations Disabled representatives experienced expectations, N=70 Non-disabled representatives actually expectations, N=620 Almost the same interest as other representatives More interested than other representatives Total 100

The material dimension - redistribution Poor accessibility is a main problem for stronger political representation Universal design is to a low degree on the local political agenda Universal design is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition The material dimension does not ensure representatives’ independence and ‘voice’

The cultural dimension – recognition Disabled representatives experience specific expectations to their political participation They are, to some degree, expected to be representatives for their group This cultural value may express inequality and misrecognition and may not ensure equal opportunity to achieve social esteem

Conclusion More qualitative research is needed to gain further knowledge about hindrances and opportunities for disabled men and women when entering the political arena