ACFID has released new guidance for the development of a Disability Inclusion Policy. The guidance is available for free to both members and the wider sector via the online Good Practice Toolkit, and can be downloaded as a PDF, with an accessible version provided as a word document.
The Guidance has been complemented by a webinar held on 22 April – watch a recording of the webinar.
This kick-starts a focus on disability inclusion, supporting ACFID members to be duty bearers committed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Disability inclusion is also a cross-cutting priority for Australia’s international engagement in development, humanitarian action, and human rights.
The Guidance supports the current ACFID Code of Conduct requirements, ACFID members are committed to the empowerment of persons with disabilities (Commitment 2.4), and one of the ways they do this is through an organisational policy that articulates its commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities.
The ACFID Code of Conduct addresses disability inclusion at all levels, including consultation with people with disabilities, contextual analysis of the barriers to social inclusion and participation, participating in decision-making, and monitoring and evaluating of progress.
The Guidance has been produced to provide practical tips to assist ACFID members to develop and implement a disability inclusion policy. It will help ACFID members to meet ACFID Compliance Indicator 2.4.1, and supports organisations to implement its obligations as a duty bearer. Importantly, it shares examples of how diverse member agencies have gone about developing and implementing their own disability inclusion policies.
Commenting on the new Guidelines, ACFID’s Standard & Code Lead Emily Moreton said:
‘Disability inclusion is an ongoing and evolving process for organisations. The intersecting nature of inclusion and its transformative power means that embracing progress in disability inclusive practice is a rewarding process for your organisation’s operations and programming effectiveness.’
To make the best use of this Guidance, use it as a guide to gauge not only where your organisation is currently sitting in the ongoing process of disability inclusion, but also where you want to proceed to, and by when.’
If you have any feedback or questions, please contact the ACFID Code team at [email protected].
