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Good Practice Toolkit

Commitment 2.3: We promote the empowerment of people with disabilities.

Compliance Indicators

Compliance with the Commitments will be assessed against the following Compliance Indicators. All of the applicable Compliance Indicators must be met by every ACFID Member to be considered compliant with the Code. Each of the Compliance Indicators has one or more compliance Verifiers. Verifiers are the description of evidence that is required to substantiate compliance with each Compliance Indicator. Guidance is also provided.

2.3.1 Members demonstrate an organisational commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Policy, statement or guideline document that commits the member to the inclusion of people with disabilities. 

Guidance

An example statement on inclusion of people with disabilities from an ACFID Member that would satisfy this indicator is provided below:

“In everything we do, CBM strives to work for and with people with disability, to promote their human rights and empowerment. Both in Australia and overseas we’re working with many government bodies and development agencies, to promote the importance of inclusion of people with disabilities and to ensure a political commitment to disability in aid and development activities.”

2.3.2 Members’ planning process includes consultation with people with disabilities and contextual analysis of the barriers to social inclusion and participation.

Design or planning framework, tools, templates which require or approaches which consistently show evidence of consultation with people with disabilities and contextual analysis of the barriers to social inclusion and participation.

Guidance

Design or planning framework, tools or templates could include the use of an activity design template and activity appraisal/assessment template which require the explicit analysis of needs of people with disabilities in the community or organisation. These tools should include prompts to ensure the analysis includes the perspectives of those marginalised due to disability, and consideration of barriers to their inclusion. Planning approaches should involve direct consultation with people with disabilities and disabled person’s organisations (DPOs) and contextual analysis of the barriers to inclusion and participation.

2.3.3 Members promote opportunities for people with disabilities and/or their representative organisations to participate in decision-making.

Development and humanitarian initiatives consistently show evidence of people with disabilities and/or their representative organisations participating in decision-making about the initiatives that affect them. 

Guidance

Approaches which promote opportunities for people with disabilities to be included in policy and program related decision-making could be incorporated throughout design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.  Strategies that seek to promote these opportunities include: consulting local disabled people’s organisations; tailoring approaches to include people with physical impairments, unseen or undisclosed impairments, psychosocial or intellectual impairments; including people with disabilities or a DPO on the design or monitoring and evaluation teams; and employing people with disabilities. sport for women to attend decision making forums

2.3.4 Members monitor and evaluate their progress in promoting the empowerment of people with disabilities.

Monitoring and evaluation framework, tools, templates which require or approaches which consistently show evidence of the assessment of progress in promoting empowerment of people with disabilities.  

Guidance

Monitoring and evaluation approaches could include consultation with DPOs, the collection of data that disaggregates for people with disabilities, and dedicated analysis on how the initiative has promoted the empowerment of people with disabilities.

Monitoring and evaluation frameworks may have a set of output or outcome indicators that explicitly relate to progress in promoting empowerment of people with disabilities. Monitoring tools, or templates could include explicit sub-sections that prompt analysis of the extent to which the initiative has worked with people with disabilities, employed strategies to promote the participation of people with disabilities, and provided opportunities to empower people with disabilities.

The analysis of the empowerment of people with disabilities could be included as a dedicated inquiry area in evaluation terms of reference. 

Good Practice Indicators

The following Good Practice Indicators describe a higher standard of practice than that set out in the Compliance Indicators. While Members do not need to meet the Good Practice Indicators to be considered compliant with the Code, they will self-assess against these indicators once every three years. This provides a clear pathway for Members to strengthen and improve practice over time.

  • Disability inclusion focal person in place. 
  • Activities focused on the promotion of rights and inclusion of people with disabilities are supported. 
  • Training for key personnel and partners which covers disability inclusion issues and the rights articulated in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is provided. 
  • Activities that build the capacities of disabled people’s organisations (and other groups with disabilities) to advocate for the fulfilment of the rights articulated in the CRPD are supported. 
  • The principles of disability inclusivity are promoted in communications with the public and external stakeholders. 

Good Practice Guidance

Here are some practical suggestions for your organisation to further deepen and improve practice over time.

ORGANISATIONAL AND POLICY

  • Include disability as a priority issue in organisational development, policy dialogue, communications, negotiations and partnerships
  • Identify and address barriers to ensure persons with disabilities have equal access to the physical environment, transportation, information and communications systems, and to other public facilities and services in both urban and in rural areas
  • Prepare and implement an affirmative action plan to include people with disabilities as staff members
  • Advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities such as to local and national governments on institutional or policy barriers that prevent full inclusion of persons with disabilities
  • Mainstream disability in all sectors (including education, health, livelihoods, water and sanitation and disaster management), and include people with disabilities in line with the human-rights based approach and the rights articulated in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
  • Recognise the central role that people with a disability play in representing their own interests and priorities; and accordingly develop and support partnerships with Disabled People’s Organisations in developing countries which play a vital role in giving people with disability a voice
  • Support initiatives to reduce the stigma that surrounds disability, which can be one of the largest barriers to full participation in community and economic life
  • Promote initiatives for economic empowerment and access to economic opportunities for people with a disability
  • Recognise that the lived experiences and perspectives of people with disabilities are diverse and will vary according to age, gender, class, caste, impairment type and other factors. Better understanding of this will contribute to effective approaches, which will differ in different contexts.

PROGRAMS

  • In the design phase of any initiative, analyse the experiences of those with and without disability for that particular context
  • Take into account the interaction of gender and disability which means that discrimination, access and inequalities may be different between men and women, girls and boys, family members and carers
  • Use a strengths-based approach, focusing on the abilities, strengths and priorities of people and organisations, and their efforts to achieve self-reliance
  • Promote and enable the active participation, inclusion and contributions of people with a disability through the whole project cycle including:
    • Inclusion of people with a disability into programming guidelines
    • Developing program document templates for inclusion
    • Specific budget allocation to disability inclusion
  • Complement programs or initiatives with targeted, additional support and services to empower people with disabilities (such as programs that focus on children with a disability) and provide them with equal access and opportunities to empower them. Working in partnerships or through referral networks may be useful to do this.

ACFID Resources

Accessible meetings and events: a toolkit

This resources is a simple toolkit offering practical guidance, tips, and case studies for ensuring that meetings and events are accessible to people with disabilities. It covers various aspects of accessibility considerations, including physical access, communication, and inclusive practices. This resource is suitable for all organisations. It is relevant to the Code evidencing that people with disabilities and their organisations are included and empowered.

ACFID Guidance for the Development of a Disability Inclusion Policy (PDF) – 2025 Update

This resource provides guidance on disability inclusion within organisations. This was developed by ACFID for ACFID members looking to develop a statement, guidance document, or disability inclusion policy to demonstrate their commitment to disability inclusion. Additionally, this resource is relevant to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) Development for All strategy. This resource also available in an accessible Word document.

Collecting and using data on disability to inform inclusive development

This resource provides guidance and tools for collecting and utilising data related to disability to inform inclusive development practices. This resource is suitable for all organisations that participate in monitoring and evaluating activities. It is relevant to the Code in ensuring that survey design and data analysis techniques for the meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities is considered and evidenced in data collection processes.

Deployee tip sheet / disability inclusion in Australia

This resource is specifically targeted at professionals working in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and humanitarian action. This is to support disability inclusion and support inclusive decision-making processes before deployment. This is suitable for humanitarian organisations . This is relevant to the Code because people with disabilities and their organisations have the right to participate in decision-making and participation in all types of settings.

​​Disability Inclusion: ACFID Code of Conduct Topic Guide ​

This is ACFID's topic guide on disability inclusion. This factsheet lists all the areas in which disability inclusion is required across the Code of Conduct.

Disability Inclusive Development Practice Note 2015

This resource is an ACFID Practice Note that serves as a bridge between recent insights gained from disability inclusion efforts, current Australian government policy priorities, and practical advice for Australian NGOs operating internationally. This resource is suitable for all organisations aiming to enhance disability inclusion in their programs. It is relevant to the Code in demonstrating an organisational commitment to disability inclusion in policy and in implementation.

Research for All: Making Research Inclusive of People with Disabilities

This resource provides tools and guidance for disability-inclusion across the entire project cycle of monitoring, and evaluation activities. This is suitable to all organisations, particularly those doing M&E, research, and/or policy advocacy. It sets out the fundamental principles; ethical considerations for inclusive research questions and methods; key steps and processes for ethically involving people with disabilities. It is relevant to the Code by preventing the exclusion of ...
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Other Resources

Are Your Virtual Meetings Accessible for People with Disabilities

This resource provides a checklist for ensuring that virtual meetings are accessible for people with disabilities. This resource is suitable for individuals and organisations hosting virtual meetings, particularly those committed to ensuring inclusion and accessibility. It is relevant to the Code as a practical implementation of including people with disabilities and/or heir representative organisations participating in planning and decision-making.

Inclusion Made Easy – CBM

A quick program guide to disability in development.

Organisations of persons with disabilities: making a difference in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands

This resource addresses the growing consensus on the importance of involving organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in disaster response and preparedness. This report draws on comparative case studies in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands to examines the roles and impact of OPDs, and identify the challenges and enablers to their engagement. This is suitable for organisations that commit to supporting OPDs' capacity and strategic development.

Resources for Disability Inclusive Development

DID4All is a resource hub and DFAT helpdesk developed by CBM Australia. This hub provides practical resources and technical assistance on disability inclusive development. This resource is suitable for all organisations seeking guidance and resources for implementing disability inclusive practices in their programs. It is relevant to the Code in ensuring that people with disabilities and/or their representative organisations participating in decision-making about the initiatives that affect them.

Washington Group Question Sets

This resource is the Washington Group on Disability Statistics' question sets - used for collecting data on disability in surveys and censuses. This provides standardised tools for assessing disability prevalence and impact across different cultural and linguistic contexts. The resource is available in Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese (Brazil & Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and French - accessible through the provided link.

What are the pre-conditions to disability inclusion?

This resource is a video recording on the foundational aspects for addressing the requirements of persons with disabilities. Projects and programs to improve social inclusion and access to services for persons with disabilities often fall short because of the lack of the essential building blocks or preconditions that are necessary to ensure disability inclusion. This is suitable for all organisations that commit to genuine disability inclusion, and not tick-box exercises.
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