In April 2020, the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES), with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), launched a series of public service announcements (PSAs) to support people with disabilities to advocate for equal rights in Georgia. The video below features Tatia Datashvili, a young Deaf woman. By sharing their experiences at a time of increased solidarity in response to COVID-19, these stories seek to raise awareness about barriers faced by people with a diversity of disabilities in Georgia in order to build a more inclusive and accessible society.
This video from the PSA series is available below with a transcript in English. The transcript has been edited for clarity.
[Transcript begins]
My name is Tatia. Because of the isolation, I have been at home during the last few weeks. There are a large number of people who are deprived of communication even beyond isolation due to inaccessible information formats. After leaving isolation and quarantine, we shall not forget a lot of other people who live their whole lives in isolation because our environment is not adapted. Please, after you leave isolation, have more empathy toward persons with disabilities and do not forget our role in ensuring a more accessible environment.
[Transcript ends]