Disability Inclusion
Over a billion people, or 16% of the world’s population, are estimated to have a disability, and disability prevalence is higher in developing countries.
Persons with disabilities are more likely to experience adverse socioeconomic outcomes such as less education, poorer health outcomes, lower levels of employment, and higher poverty rates. Poverty may increase the risk of disability through malnutrition, inadequate access to education and health care, unsafe working conditions, a polluted environment, and lack of access to safe water and sanitation. Disability may also exacerbate the risk of poverty, through lack of education and resulting in limited employment opportunities, lower wages, and increased cost associated with having a disability.
OUR APPROACH TO DISABILITY INCLUSION
Key challenges faced by persons with disabilities include:
Barriers to full social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities due to inaccessible physical environments and transportation, the unavailability of assistive devices and technologies, non-adapted means of communication, gaps in service delivery, and discriminatory prejudice and stigma in society.
Households with persons with disabilities are disproportionately food insecure due to constrained economic resources due to higher poverty and lower employment rates than persons without disabilities.
In situations of humanitarian crisis and conflict, persons with disabilities are more likely to face violence, exploitation or abuse, be excluded from services, and have two to four times higher mortality rates.
Investing in disability-inclusive development is not only a matter of equity, it is essential for unlocking full economic potential, reducing poverty, and ensuring that no one is left behind in development outcomes.
Including persons with disabilities and expanding equitable opportunities are at the core of the World Bank Group’s work to build sustainable, inclusive communities, aligned with the institution’s goals to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity.
The World Bank integrates disability into development through its analytical work, data collection, and inclusive policies. The World Bank also addresses disability in its operations across a wide range of sectors, including promoting access to infrastructure facilities and social services, rehabilitation, skills development, creating economic opportunities, and working with organizations for persons with disabilities, focusing on the most vulnerable among people with disabilities—such as women and children—and influencing policies and institutional development. The Global Disability Advisor’s team serves as a focal point for ongoing advisory and analytical support to operational teams on disability-inclusive approaches in project design and implementation. Key resources include:
The Disability Inclusion and Accountability Framework offers a roadmap for including disability in the World Bank’s policies, operations, and analytical work, as well as for building internal capacity for supporting clients in implementing disability-inclusive development programs.
The Ten Commitments accelerate global action towards disability-inclusive development in key areas such as education, digital development, data collection, gender, post-disaster reconstruction, transport, private sector investments, and social protection.
The Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) includes a strong provision designed to make sure that the interests of persons with disabilities are protected and included in project design, requiring the borrower to look specifically at disability as part of any social assessments. The Good Practice Note on Non-Discrimination and Disability accompanies the ESF to support implementation.
The World Bank issued a directive on addressing project risks and impacts on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in 2016, which also addresses the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
The World Bank published a series of technical notes and guidance on disability inclusion in disaster risk management and water, sanitation, and hygiene, among other topics.
The World Bank Group Corporate Scorecard also measures the proportion of Investment Project Financing operations applying the concept of Universal Access to track and improve accessibility design in projects.
PROGRAMS & PROJECTS ON DISABILITY INCLUSION
Examples of the World Bank's work to promote disability inclusion
Disability inclusion is a core element of World Bank financed-projects. Key examples include:
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Disability Inclusion Work Supported by the Human Rights Trust Fund
With the support of the Human Rights Trust Fund (HRTF), the World Bank Group promotes disability inclusion in diverse country contexts:
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Disability Inclusion Work Supported by the Inclusive Education Initiative
The Inclusive Education Initiative (IEI), a multi-donor trust fund with support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), invested in catalytic technical expertise and knowledge resources that support countries in making education progressively inclusive for children across the spectrum of disabilities. The IEI has three focus countries: Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Nepal, and supports projects in a number of other countries:
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Disability-Inclusive Education in Africa Program
The Disability-Inclusive Education in Africa Program, with funding from external partners, invested in regional diagnostics and programmatic interventions in Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Senegal, The Gambia, and Zambia. The program built practitioner capacity through technical learning sessions and knowledge products.
RESULTS & IMPACT ON DISABILITY INCLUSION
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RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS
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MORE ON DISABILITY INCLUSION
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OUR PARTNERS IN DISABILITY INCLUSION
Social Development
Social Development focuses on the need to “put people first” in development processes. It promotes social inclusion of the poor and vulnerable by empowering people, building cohesive and resilient societies, and making institutions accessible and accountable to citizens.