Tagline: These will help them participate in public life, advocate for their rights, and strengthen their communities without leaving home.
For many people, opening a website, sending an email, or participating in an online public discussion is an ordinary part of daily life. For many persons with visual impairments living in Armenia’s Lori region, however, these opportunities remain limited. The lack of accessible educational services and digital literacy programs has prevented many from acquiring the skills needed to independently navigate the digital world.
To address this challenge, the Lori Disability-Led Advocacy Initiative Group launched the project “Digital Democracy Is Also My Right.” Supported through the Digital Spark grant program, the initiative aims to equip persons with visual impairments with practical digital skills that will allow them to become active citizens, participate in decision-making processes, and advocate for their rights and the rights of others.
A community-led initiative
The Lori Disability-Led Advocacy Initiative Group is an informal initiative founded and led by persons with different types of disabilities. The group was established with a shared vision of creating a more inclusive environment, not only in the Lori region but throughout Armenia.
The project is being implemented in Lori, a northern region of Armenia where access to specialized educational and support services remains limited compared to the capital city. As a result, many persons with disabilities often feel compelled to relocate to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, in search of better opportunities and services.
This initiative seeks to challenge this reality. People with disabilities should be able to live, learn, work, and participate in public life within their own communities.
Digital skills as a pathway to participation
The project focuses on providing a series of digital literacy trainings for persons with visual impairments, using accessible technologies such as the screen reader software NVDA and TalkBack.
Participants will learn how to use computers and smartphones independently, navigate websites, communicate online, and access information without assistance. Beyond basic digital literacy, the training also introduces skills that support civic participation and advocacy.
Participants will learn how to communicate with decision-makers, write and submit official requests, use public digital platforms, participate in public consultations, prepare advocacy documents, and monitor issues that affect their communities. They will also gain practical skills in managing email communication, searching for information effectively, creating professional documents, and interacting with government services online.
These skills are not simply technical abilities. They are tools that help people become visible, informed, and engaged members of society.
Why digital inclusion matters
For persons with visual impairments, digital accessibility is closely connected to social inclusion. When people lack the skills to access online information and services, they risk becoming isolated from educational opportunities, employment, civic participation, and community life.
Digital exclusion can also reinforce geographical inequalities. In many cases, persons with disabilities leave smaller communities and move to larger cities where specialized services are available. While relocation may provide short-term solutions, it often weakens local communities and reduces opportunities for local advocacy.
Our project promotes a different approach. By providing accessible digital education locally, we aim to empower people to remain in their communities and become agents of change within them. Equipped with knowledge and confidence, they can advocate for accessible services, engage with local authorities, and contribute to making their communities more inclusive for future generations.
A story of resilience and leadership
The project is coordinated by Ruben Parsadanyan, a disability rights advocate from the Lori region.
Ruben lost his eyesight during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War as a result of a landmine explosion. Like many people who experience disability later in life, he faced years of isolation and uncertainty. Over time, however, he made the decision to overcome his fears and rebuild his life.
Today, Ruben actively shares his experience with other people with disabilities, encouraging them not to give up when faced with challenges. His personal journey demonstrates that disability does not define a person’s potential and that access to knowledge, support, and opportunity can transform lives.
His experience also shapes the philosophy of the project: empowering people not through charity, but through knowledge, participation, and equal opportunities.
Looking ahead
Although the training activities are only beginning, the project is already seen as an investment in long-term change. The real success of the initiative will not be measured solely by the number of participants trained, but by how they use their new skills in the future.
The hope is to see participants actively communicating with public institutions, engaging in community initiatives, advocating for accessibility, and supporting others who face similar barriers. The project will inspire broader efforts to expand accessible digital education in Armenia’s regions.
Most importantly, participants will recognize that democracy belongs to them as well. Access to information, communication, and participation should never depend on where a person lives or whether they have a disability.
Digital democracy is not a privilege. It is a right.
