We’re excited to announce the launch of Advocating for Inclusion and Disability Rights: A Toolkit for Community Organisations, developed through the Empowering Women and Girls project at the Commonwealth of Learning.

Through this project, we support women and girls, including persons with disabilities, in strengthening their voices and leadership in community development. Along the way, we recognized the importance of more intentionally integrating inclusion and accessibility into our work. For many of us, that begins with building a strong foundation by understanding the fundamental concepts of inclusion and disability rights and applying them meaningfully in our advocacy and programs.

This toolkit was created to help build those foundational blocks and turn principles into practice. This toolkit is designed for community practitioners, leaders, and women and girls who want to strengthen their understanding of inclusive advocacy and community programming. 

Learning Highlights

Inside the toolkit, you will find:

• Clear, grounding definitions of disability, inclusion, and accessibility to build a shared foundation
  An overview of key disability frameworks and disability rights principles
  A practical advocacy framework that integrates inclusion throughout the full advocacy cycle
• Guidance on partnering with persons with disabilities and OPDs, grounded in the principle “Nothing About Us Without Us”
• Tactical tools and best practices for creating inclusive advocacy activities, from in-person events to communications
• Recommendations for inclusive monitoring, evaluation, and learning to effectively capture feedback and measure advocacy success
  

How to Use the Toolkit

The toolkit is organized into eight modules and can be used for self-directed learning or facilitated sessions. It is available in PDF format and can support:

• Individual growth. Strengthen your understanding of core concepts and integrate them into your own community development practice.
• Training and workshops. Use the content, activities, and reflection prompts to guide group learning and discussion.
• Program and policy development. Apply the inclusion checklists and advocacy strategies when reviewing services or designing new initiatives.
• Practitioner conversations. Spark meaningful dialogue with colleagues, community members, and peers about creating more inclusive spaces.

Explore the Toolkit

Get started by downloading the toolkit here: https://hdl.handle.net/11599/6111