Capacity and confidence

Disability inclusion cannot happen accidentally; it requires deliberate and proactive measures. Exclusion is difficult to see because it requires people to consider who is not in the room and why they might not be there. Exclusion itself places the burden of getting involved on the person being excluded, whereas inclusion is something that requires everyone’s commitment to achieve. Inclusion requires communication and accountability in order to be successful but when it is achieved, not only does it benefit the individuals but also the community as a whole.

Disabled leaders, like all civil society leaders, are under great deal of pressure and their time is limited. However, as stated, an additional challenge facing disabled leaders is that the majority of disability-led organisations are flat and small due to lack of organisational funding. This means that there are even more pressures on disabled leaders’ time and also fewer progression routes to enable more disabled leaders to progress. The rest of civil society could play a fundamental role in helping to strengthen capacity and build disabled people’s organisations by providing career opportunities for potential disabled leaders where structures are less flat. This would also assist the wider civil society by creating more connection points with disability led organisations.

Inclusion is always a learning process but civil society is not starting from a blank page; there is already good practice and experience in D/deaf and disabled people’s organisations.

In addition, simple things such as statements about commitments to diversity and inclusion followed up by access need questions and named contacts demonstrate easily that you intend to carry through on your principles into action.