Inclusive Futures’ learning strategy

Under our learning strategy, we worked to dispel common myths about disability inclusion, by gathering and sharing practical knowledge on effective disability-inclusive practices. We focused on identifying successful methods and fostering continuous improvement to enhance outcomes for people with disabilities, while helping others adopt these insights across the sector.

When I started as Inclusive Futures’ senior learning adviser, I was immediately struck by the clarity of the learning papers. They were concise, practical and jargon-free, which made them easy to understand even with my limited background in disability inclusion. Despite being new to the field, I quickly grasped key concepts thanks to their straightforward writing style. Unfortunately, this style is rare in our sector. We often produce long, wordy reports that are hard to interpret and not always useful in practice.

Closing the disability gap

Ensuring that people with disabilities are meaningfully included in development as standard practice, rather than the exception, requires collective responsibility across the entire sector, not just from disability‑focused organisations. Although it may not be easy, achieving this is entirely possible with genuine commitment and the right systems and policies in place.

While working with Inclusive Futures, I attended an international family planning conference in Bogotá, Colombia. Throughout the event, I spoke with a wide range of participants from local and international organisations working in sexual and reproductive health and rights. Many expressed a genuine desire to strengthen their work on disability inclusion, yet they also admitted they struggled to find accessible, practical information. The resources we shared were welcomed, but it left me with a pressing question: will this interest translate into real, sustained action on disability inclusion? Interest alone isn’t enough; the sector must turn that interest into concrete, sustained action.

Turning commitments into action

Whether your organisation is beginning its disability inclusion journey or aiming to strengthen existing inclusion commitments, our new learning paper is an excellent starting point, sharing our experience delivering a disability-inclusive programme. In the paper, we provide a deeper analysis of successful strategies and how they can inform future initiatives, organised around three ‘pillars’ that have proven essential for advancing disability inclusion.

• Pillar 1: Make an explicit commitment to disability inclusion across your organisation by embedding practical tools, mandatory training, accessibility and reasonable accommodation as standard practice, while adopting intersectional approaches and committing to longer timelines for systemic change.
• Pillar 2: Establish multi-level partnerships with diverse organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs) and partners to ensure genuine engagement, localisation and fair remuneration, while avoiding siloed delivery and strengthening OPD roles and funding.
• Pillar 3: Design flexible programmes that learn, adapt and influence, using adaptive management, ethical data practices and coordinated advocacy to close evidence gaps and drive systemic change.

If you’re reading this, can you start reflecting on why people with disabilities are routinely pushed to the margins of development work?  What are the barriers to progress within your organisation and sector? What steps can you take to overcome them? Can you bring these discussions to your team, manager or programme?

To ensure that no one is left behind, we need commitment and action from everyone. It’s important that we work together, rather than relying solely on disability inclusion organisations, programmes and experts. By collaborating, we can create a greater impact than if we work in isolation. Let’s join forces so we can learn from and support one another in integrating disability inclusion into our development programmes. Together, we can continue making the progress needed to ensure equality for all.

About Inclusive Futures

The UK aid-funded disability inclusive development (DID) programme, part of the Inclusive Futures initiative, was led by Sightsavers and the International Disability Alliance. It united 10 partners, including development organisations, disability specialists and experts, to innovate and scale disability inclusion in health, education and livelihoods while combating discrimination. The programme generated evidence on effective strategies for inclusion, influenced global policy, and supported the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office with technical advice through initiatives like the Disability Inclusion Helpdesk.