"Moving from being seen as a 'burden' to the State to becoming contributors to the State," - Disability rights leader, speaking on the Voces Inclusivas livestream.
This week, CPI’s Collective fellows and partners in Latin America, including Politize!, Incubadora de Liderazgos +Costa Rica, and Democracia en Red, brought political inclusion into the Costa Rican presidential debate through ‘Voces Inclusivas’, a democratic innovation that centred disability rights in the presidential process. Working alongside Movimiento de Personas con Discapacidad, they created a space where technology became a tool for real visibility and influence in the public agenda.
Hosted by CPI’s Collective team in partnership with Movimiento de Personas con Discapacidad, the livestream combined clips from a recent presidential debate with live commentary and interviews from leaders of Costa Rica’s disability rights movement. Together, they examined candidates’ commitments to employment, inclusive education, mobility, universal access, and digital inclusion. The audience participated in online deliberation spaces, making this an experiment in how collaborative innovation can reshape public debate and create pathways for voices often excluded from political debate and policymaking.
Next steps include sharing analysis from the discussion and continuing the conversation on an online platform, connecting insights with new and existing government leaders.
Credits: Movimiento de Personas con Discapacidad
CPI’s Collective is a space for people working inside and outside government to learn from each other, test new approaches, and build the future of public impact together. ‘Voces Inclusivas’ embodied this by showing how digital tools can strengthen political inclusion, amplify the voices of those too often excluded, and turn participation into change. Stay tuned to discover more such initiatives.
If you missed yesterday’s livestream, I encourage you to watch the recording. Whether you work in policy, civic innovation, social justice, or community organising, this experiment offers both inspiration and practical insight into what a more inclusive democracy can look like.
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The Centre for Public Impact is a global not-for-profit organisation founded by the Boston Consulting Group. We serve as a learning partner for governments, public servants and the diverse network of changemakers who are leading the charge to reimagine government. We work with them to hold space to collectively make sense of the complex challenges we face and drive meaningful change through learning and experimentation.
