Inclusive Futures | Programmes

Inclusive Futures was the UK government’s flagship disability initiative. It ran disability-inclusive programmes and generated evidence-based resources for development professionals.

Thirty-year-old Hussaina has a physical disability. She took part in Inclusive Futures’ family planning project in Kaduna, Nigeria.

One in six people worldwide have a disability – yet millions are still excluded from education, employment, health services and decision-making. Even today, disability remains one of the most neglected areas of global development.

Under the leadership of Sightsavers and the International Disability Alliance, Inclusive Futures brought together a powerful alliance of experts working on disability and eradicating poverty. Working with more than 200 national and local organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs), it proved that disability-inclusive development transforms lives, is cost-effective and delivers lasting results.

From 2018-26, the initiative:

Reached 3.4 million people with disabilities and 15.6 million other people
Improved access to education, healthcare and livelihoods
Influenced national policies and embedded inclusion in government systems

Together with our partners, we also generated more than 300 resources to help address the global evidence gap in what works in disability-inclusive development. This legacy provides governments, development and humanitarian organisations, donors and disability actors with practical guidance on how to develop more inclusive laws, policies and programmes.

Inclusive Futures’ lasting impact

Four women wearing colourful head scarves look very happy. One woman holds a family planning leaflet.

Health

Inclusive Futures worked with partners to ensure healthcare facilities and services were accessible. In Nigeria, we co-designed a £15.8m sexual health and reproductive rights plan with Kaduna state government, which will reach thousands of women with disabilities.
Visit Inclusive Futures to read more about family planning

In a classroom, a teacher speaks to a group of young children sitting in a circle.

Education

The initiative invested £11 million in inclusive education in five countries to train teachers, identify out-of-school children and support families to navigate services. In Nepal, all children will now be assessed for disabilities when entering primary school.
Visit Inclusive Futures to learn about inclusive education

A man and woman stand inside an industrial-sized polytunnel with green leafy crops.

Economic opportunities

Inclusive Futures proved people with disabilities contribute to economic growth when supported through inclusive design, training and accessible workplaces. In Kenya, household finances of business owners who took part in our project increased by 30 per cent for at least a year.
Visit Inclusive Futures to learn about inclusive livelihoods

A man with earphones around his neck smiles while another man holds a boom mic up to him.

Stigma and discrimination

From community dialogues to broadcast radio dramas, Inclusive Futures addressed two root causes of exclusion: stigma and discrimination. In Nigeria, we partnered with BBC Media Action to adapt a popular radio drama to address disability stigma, reaching 3.9 million adults.
Visit Inclusive Futures to learn about disability stigma

Key results from the initiative

More children with disabilities enrolling and thriving in school
Higher household incomes and reduced poverty
Greater access to vital healthcare services
Disability integrated into national policies and funding commitments
Reduced stigma and more supportive communities
More people covered by state-provided social protection systems

See our work in action

In Nigeria, our inclusive family planning project delivered in partnership with BBC Media Action and women-led OPDs reached more than four million people.
Learn about the project on the Inclusive Futures website

From 2018-26, Inclusive Futures reached nearly 3.4 million people with disabilities and more than 15.6 people without disabilities – changing lives and reducing inequality.
Read about our impact on the Inclusive Futures website

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Expertise from the initiative

Putting disability inclusion into action

Abhilasha Sharma, Inclusive Futures’ monitoring, evaluation and learning manager, reflects on working on an inclusive programme.
Read Abhilasha’s blog

Busting disability inclusion myths

Pascale Hall, Inclusive Futures’ senior learning adviser, discusses how the development sector can debunk myths about disability inclusion.
Read Pascale’s blog

Why disability inclusion is under threat

Sightsavers’ Johannes Trimmel and the International Disability Alliance’s José Viera explain why it’s becoming harder to create a more equal world.
Read Johannes and José’s blog

Inclusive Futures partners

Inclusive Futures was a consortium led by Sightsavers and the International Disability Alliance. It brought together some of the world’s foremost international NGOs working on disability, reducing poverty and media, more than 200 national and local OPDs, as well as leading research organisations.

Together we pooled our skills and expertise to transform the lives of people with disabilities and build the global evidence base on disability-inclusive development.