Join our campaign

Equal World: join the fight for disability rights!

Around the world, there are one billion people with disabilities. Of these, 800 million live in low and middle income countries, and more than half are women.

In many countries, people with disabilities face stigma and discrimination every day and are denied basic human rights. Right now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, these rights are under greater threat than ever – but you can take action to change this.

Take action now: sign our open letter to G7 leaders

Before the pandemic, as many as 33 million children with disabilities were out of school. As the world rebuilds from the global learning crisis exacerbated by the pandemic, we must make sure that inclusive, quality education is available and accessible to all children with disabilities – particularly girls. The G7 and Global Education summits being held in June and July have the potential to transform the lives of children with disabilities – we are calling on world leaders to seize this opportunity.

Sign the open letter now

Will you fight with us?

Watch the video below to find out why we fight for disability rights (there’s also an audio described version).

COVID-19 and disability

People with disabilities are being disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

They face discrimination and a lack of accessible information, and are often not seen as a priority to receive health care. This is on top of the existing inequality and barriers to participation that many people with disabilities experience every day.

In May 2020 we launched a petition calling on the United Nations and its member countries to address this injustice. The petition gathered more than 25,000 signatures from all over the world! It was handed in to the UN and representatives from member countries on 17 July 2020.

Find out more about COVID-19 and disability rights

Fighting for a fairer world

Since 1950, Sightsavers has worked to empower people with visual impairments and other disabilities to access education, employment and health care, and play a full and active role in their communities.

Our Equal World campaign calls on the international community to make sure that global development is inclusive of people with disabilities at every level of decision-making, and in every area of life. We take a rights-based approach in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which states that people with disabilities must have their human rights upheld, and be able to claim these rights without discrimination.

By taking action – signing petitions, contacting your political representatives or sharing stories on social media – you’ll be using your voice to help us reach the widest possible audience and keep the issue of disability rights on the global agenda.

Together, we can create a fairer world.