We are working in partnership with Inclusion International and our global networks to develop international guidelines on the inclusive participation of people with intellectual disabilities in the running and work of organisations.

The challenge

"When we take part in meetings with other organisations we very rarely get the information in the way we need"

People with intellectual disabilities are rarely included and able to participate fully in the running and work of organisations, whether its the organisation's governance, decision making, programming, meetings, consultations, or conferences. This is a problem across all types of organisations, including public institutions, NGOs, private sector actors and UN agencies.

We have heard from many organisations that want to include people with intellectual disabilities in their work but either don't know how or need support to be more inclusive. While lots of organisations working directly with people with intellectual disabilities do this well, we can all do better.

What we are doing

We are working in partnership with Inclusion International to produce international guidelines on the inclusive participation of people with intellectual disabilities in the running and work of organisations.

These guidelines will be based on the ideas and experiences of our global networks, which include people with intellectual disabilities, families and advocates, and organisations that represent them. We have a reference group guiding the process, which is made up mostly of people with intellectual disabilities from around the world, with a few organisation staff. We will soon be launching a survey and running consultations to collect input from around the world.

The content of the guidelines will be informed by our survey and consultations, but we expect it will include:

  • Creating accessible information 

  • Communicating and sharing information

  • Supporting people to participate

  • Running an inclusive meeting or conference

Long term impact

"These guidelines will teach you how to listen to us and respect us and include us"

We expect these guidelines will enable organisations to better include people with disabilities and will serve as a powerful tool for people with intellectual disabilities, families and advocates to push organisations to be more inclusive.

Inclusive participation in organisations means people with intellectual disabilities have a seat at the table and get their voices heard. It enables them to be involved in decision making, to push their priorities and advocate for their human rights.