Inclusion

Inclusion

Although many people with disabilities have limited access to healthcare, education, employment, transport and leisure activities, their needs are rarely taken into account.

HI works with people with disabilities, their families, their communities and a range of organizations for a truly inclusive world where people with disabilities have equal opportunities and rights. We work with people to promote inclusion in education, sport and cultural activities, access to employment, and lobbying governments to ensure equal opportunities for people with disabilities.

Inclusive education

Worldwide, more than 32 million children living with a disability don’t go to school. These children are denied their fundamental right to learn, just because they have a disability.

At HI, we believe that every child has the right to a quality inclusive education. Our work on inclusive education focuses particularly on children with disabilities, concentrating on low-income countries in both development and emergency contexts. Ensuring that all children and young adults with disabilities have access to school is a priority.

With your help, we can ensure that more children with disabilities are included in school. Find out how you can support our global #school4all campaign.

Economic inclusion

In low- and middle-income countries, people with disabilities are often denied access to education, training opportunities, loans for microenterprise development and formal employment in the private sector making it impossible for them to earn a living.

Humanity & Inclusion promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities in decent, income-generating employment to break the cycle of poverty, contribute to the overall development of a country, and boost the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. The organization and its partners take a variety of approaches to helping people with disabilities earn a living from supporting vocational training programs to providing startup funds or supplies for entrepreneurs to advocating for inclusive workplaces.

Social inclusion

Since its founding in 1982, Humanity & Inclusion has worked to empower people with disabilities to assume a full, social role within their families and communities. To encourage the personal and social development of people with disabilities, Humanity & Inclusion works to re-establish, revitalize, and foster social ties, and to improve access to social services, as well as cultural activities and sports.

Staff and volunteers work with family members, school administrators, community members, and local leaders to ensure they understand the importance of including people with disabilities in activities and decision-making. We also work with local government officials, organizations run by and for people with disabilities, social clubs, and other groups to organize inclusive sports, games, and other leisure activities.

Inclusive governance

Humanity & Inclusion works to increase the participation of people with disabilities in local governance, and to encourage local authorities to take the rights of people with disabilities into consideration when planning and implementing projects. The organization also empowers local organizations run by and for people with disabilities to advocate for their rights.

Strengthening these local organizations is often the first step in inclusive governance. By teaching people with disabilities how to organize, understand their rights, and gain the acceptance of local authorities, they have the opportunity to successfully advocate for positive change.

Accessibility

People with disabilities face a multitude of obstacles in their physical environment that can prevent them from attending school, working, accessing services like healthcare, and participating in community activities. Creating a barrier-free environment is key to including people with disabilities as equal members of society.

Humanity & Inclusion incorporates accessibility into all of its programs, working with development stakeholders, local communities, and governments to reduce barriers for people with disabilities. This might entail making schools and health centers physically accessible, building accessible homes for people with disabilities following natural disasters, or developing physically accessible public transportation.

Free resources on disability and inclusion

Source, our website for practitioners and academics working in the field of disability, provides free access to resources on disability and inclusion, including books, journals, toolkits and reports. It includes material from developing countries and literature not readily available elsewhere.