#Funding for #disability #policy, #advocacy, #humanrights and #care is paltry. Despite the fact that one in five Americans have a disability, and one in every three families has a family member with a disability, only 9% of #foundations reported an increase in #funding related to people with disabilities since the pandemic began. (Stanford Innovation Review)
The issues of people with disabilities were largely invisible during the pandemic which reinforced inequities in medical care, housing, employment etc. The pandemic has laid bare societal inequities in the poorest and most marginalized segments of society. Disability and poverty often intersect. If foundations are committed to justice, equity and inclusion then disability communities need a seat at the table.
Authors @Catherine Hyde Townsend and @Bess Rothenberg recommend that the philanthropic sector take the following steps:
· Understand disability frameworks and bring ableism into philanthropy;
· Use the “Nothing About Us Without Us” design principle;
· Establish disability inclusion goals and accountability measures; and
· Chart a path for continuous learning.
I would add take a #Universal Design approach in everything you do—understand that all humans fall along a continuum of characteristics and abilities. The mandate lies with the systems that serve people to be human-centered and designed with flexibility, inclusion, accessibility, and equity in mind.

Now You: Are you thinking about disability as part of your equity work?
#nonprofit #nonprofitleaders #foundations #philanthropy #disabilityrights #universal design #universaldesignforlearning #potentiainstitute21 #inclusion