On 11 June, global disability rights advocates, government officials, development agencies and media partners came together in New York to confront one of the most persistent barriers to disability inclusion: stigma and discrimination.

The ‘Let’s talk about sex: shattering stereotypes and advancing disability inclusion’ event took place at the UK government’s permanent mission to the United Nations, on the sidelines of the UN Conference of States Parties (CoSP) to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Discussions centred on lived experiences and learnings from Inclusive Futures’ innovative sexual health and reproductive rights project based in Nigeria, led by Sightsavers and BBC Media Action that has reached more than 4 million people.

A key aspect of the event was the launch of a new learning report examining how stigma and discrimination continue to deny people with disabilities their rights across health, education, employment and society. The report also highlights four practical learnings from the Inclusive Futures programme that are proven to dismantle discrimination and stigma.

Kemi Williams, Head of gender, equalities and rights at the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “The only way to make a widespread change to the millions of people with disabilities around the global is to change attitudes and approaches so development work is inclusive by default.”

In candid conversations and personal testimonies shared at the event, speakers from Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Peru, United Kingdom, Austria and United States illuminated the complex ways stigma continues to deny people with disabilities access to their most basic rights.

Cara who moderated the event said: “It’s imperative that we shatter stigma and breakdown stereotypes that are caused by disability stigma because people with disabilities have so much to offer the world. We really need to understand where does disability stigma come from. It comes from fear. It comes from a lack of knowledge of knowing about our lives.”

The new report points to four lessons to reduce stigma:

1. Understand stigma as a barrier to inclusion. Work with people with disabilities to explore how stigma affects them. Recognise that experiences differ across contexts and identities.
2. Map out who you need to influence. Identify who to engage and how to measure stigma. Involve people with disabilities, caregivers, communities, and decision-makers.
3. Target activities to reduce different types of stigma. Design activities that address specific stigma types. Empower people with disabilities, influence powerholders, and spark community dialogue.
4. Partner with people with lived experience. Engage people with disabilities and OPDs meaningfully. Build OPD capacity, ensure accessibility, and use feedback to inform action.

To read the report and to access more resources on tackling disability stigma, visit our new hub page.