The first-ever conference on increasing political access in Southeast Asia is underway in Jakarta.

Hosted by the ASEAN General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA), a network of Southeast Asian organizations focused on advancing the rights of persons with disabilities, the event brings together over 100 representatives from disabled persons' organizations, civil society, election management bodies and government. The conference aims to foster dialogue and develop techniques to promote the equal and full participation of persons with disabilities in democratic processes.

The event, taking place on February 1-2, is open to the public. Those who are unable to attend in person can participate virtually through an Internet application from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Indonesian time (beginning at 9 p.m. EST).

His Excellency Wardana, the Indonesian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, kicked off the conference as the keynote speaker.

Other main speakers include Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Hasan Wirajuda, USAID Disability and Inclusive Development Coordinator Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo and Special Advisor for International Disability Rights of the State Department Judith Heumann.

To watch McClain-Nhlapo and Heumann's introduction, click here.

Together, speakers will share experiences and best practices in ensuring election access for persons with disabilities. Election simulations and role-playing to better understand the barriers persons with disabilities face when voting are also on the agenda.

At present, there are an estimated 60 million persons with disabilities living throughout Southeast Asia who face barriers in exercising their political rights. The conference aims to remove these obstacles.

Progress in this area is crucial to ensuring all have a say in the way they are governed and all are engaged in the political process.

AGENDA began in 2011 with IFES' support. This consortium connects organizations working to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in the ASEAN region and increases dialogue equality. The conference is open to the public. Thanks to a collaboration with the Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP), those who are unable to attend can participate online through the Blackboard Collaboration Application.

Live updates are also available via Twitter by searching #AGENDAconf or by following AGENDA (@agendaasiaorg) and IFES (@IFES1987).

For more information about the conference or the event, please contact Christian Donn (cdonn@ifesindonesia.org).

Click here to read The Jakarta Globe's coverage of the conference.

Instructions on how to join the conference through Blackboard:
The virtual room for this meeting can be accessed through Room A , Room B or Room C .

You may enter as early as you would like to practice or get prepared for the meeting. To join, click on the meeting link, then type in your name, click "Log in," then open the java file downloaded to your computer (called "meeting.jnlp"). Blackboard Collaborate will begin loading on your computer. Once you have connected, you will be prompted to select your internet connection speed before joining the room. At this point, you will be ready to participate. Once you are logged in to the meeting, remember to press the "talk" button before speaking and to release this button again once you have finished speaking.

If possible, we do recommend that you use a headset with a microphone/combo for the best possible audio. If you are planning to use closed captioning, you may open the closed captioning window as soon as you enter the room by going to "view" on the menu bar and then select "closed captioning window" in the drop down menu. The captioners are usually present 15 minutes before the meeting.

For more detailed instructions on accessing and participating in a virtual meeting, see the " Getting Started Guide " and/or watch the " Online Orientation " (~60min). It would be helpful to log in to the " Configuration Room " prior to the actual meeting to test your settings in an actual Blackboard Collaborate session. For additional Blackboard Collaborate training materials please visit Blackboard Collaborate Services .

If you have any questions about virtual participation in the meeting, please contact IFES IT Officer, Mr. Arief Kurniawan, at arief@ifesindonesia.org .