International Disability Alliance

02/06/2026

How can we build cities that work for everyone?

At the 13th Urban Forum ( ) in Baku, Azerbaijan, IDA was represented by the World Blind Union President Santosh Kumar Rungta at the roundtable "Beyond Accessibility: Realising the Right to Adequate Housing for All."

The session recognised that persons with disabilities continue to face disproportionate barriers to adequate housing, mobility, public services and participation in urban life, particularly in informal settlements and climate-vulnerable contexts. The roundtable explored how to embed disability inclusion as a core principle of urban governance, planning and development, while ensuring the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in shaping urban futures.

Participants pointed out the importance of accessible housing, universal design, climate resilience, disability-disaggregated data and integrative financing. They also reaffirmed a fundamental principle of the : persons with disabilities must be partners and leaders in the decisions that affect their lives.

The roundtable contributed recommendations to the emerging Baku Call to Act, helping advance increasingly inclusive housing, resilient infrastructure and participatory urban governance for all.

IDA is proud to support the leadership of its members in guiding global conversations on disability-inclusive development.

29/05/2026

Count Us. Free Us. Make It Ours.

Institutionalization is one of the most widespread, systematic and hidden human rights violations facing persons with disabilities today. It separates people from families, communities, education, work, friendship, culture, love, political life, and ordinary freedom. It turns ‘care’ into control. It turns difference and diversity into segregation and deprivation of liberty. It tells people that their lives belong to systems, not to themselves. And still, the world does not know how many people are trapped.

The International Disability Alliance estimates that around 25 million persons with disabilities may currently be living in institutions worldwide. This takes place in social care institutions, psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, group homes, residential schools, protected homes, and other segregated settings. The real number may be lower or higher. But the uncertainty is itself part of the injustice. People who are not counted are easier to ignore. People who are not seen are easier to leave behind. This is why we must count. Not to produce another statistic, but to expose a global system of segregation and end it.

The CRPD is clear. Persons with disabilities have the equal right to live independently and be included in the community. This means real choice, real support, accessible housing, personal assistance, supported decision-making, inclusive education, family support, peer support, and community-based services. It means closing institutions and redirecting budgets towards freedom, dignity, and belonging.

We believe in the cry of solidarity that “If one of us is in chains, none of us are free.” – these chains can be physical, chemical, legal. We will work tirelessly to end institutionalization in all its forms, starting by counting how many people with disabilities are institutionalized.

As we mark the 20th anniversary of the CRPD, Make It Ours, we must make the Convention real in the lives of every person with disabilities whose freedom has been taken from them. Implement the CRPD Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization. Make data a tool for liberation. Make governments count every person or we will count them ourselves, listen to , fund community inclusion, and create pathways out of institutions, and end institutionalization in all its forms once and for all.

Every person must be counted. Every person must be free.



ASEAN Disability Forum Pacific Disability Forum World Blind Union RIADIS World Federation of the Deafblind World Federation of the Deaf Ry African Disability Forum - ADF INCLUSION INTERNATIONAL Down Syndrome International European Disability Forum World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry Disability Rights International Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

25/05/2026

Let’s Make It Ours.
20 years of rights. Now let’s build belonging.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities changed how the world understands disability. Organisations of persons with disabilities have been working tirelessly for the last 20 years to make the paradigm shift to a fully inclusive world a reality for all people with disabilities.

Progress has been made, but barriers, exclusion and inequalities continue to affect the lives of millions of persons with disabilities around the world.

The International Disability Alliance is launching – Let’s Make It Ours, a campaign marking the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, bringing together voices from across the disability movement to reflect on achievements, confront remaining gaps, and help shape the future.

Because the next chapter is not only about protecting rights.
It is about making technology, democracy, inclusion, the world, and the future ours.

Stay with us.


Pacific Disability Forum RIADIS African Disability Forum - ADF ASEAN Disability Forum World Federation of the Deafblind World Federation of the Deaf Ry World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry European Disability Forum Inclusion Europe Down Syndrome International Organization of Persons with Disabilities Blind Union

21/05/2026

Cities cannot be designed for children and young people without being designed with them

As housing pressures, climate shocks and widening inequalities reshape urban life, young people are already leading solutions — generating local data, driving climate action and redefining what liveable communities should look like. Yet too often, they remain absent from the decisions that shape their futures.

Today at , the Children and Youth Roundtable “Our homes, our future: Co-designing liveable urban environments for children and youth” moderated by Nagetey , IDA's Youth and Gender Adviser, will challenge this approach and place children and young people where they belong: not as passive beneficiaries, but as decision-makers, knowledge holders and partners in shaping cities.

The conversation moved beyond housing alone to ask broader questions:

• What makes a city truly liveable for young people?
• How do we connect housing with safety, health, education, digital inclusion and livelihoods?
• How do we ensure that young people’s lived experiences and evidence directly influence policy and planning?

For young persons with disabilities, a liveable city is not simply one that provides housing but one that enables participation, independence and belonging. Urban environments cannot be considered liveable if physical, attitudinal, digital and communication barriers continue to prevent young persons with disabilities from accessing education, livelihoods, public spaces and decision-making.

The future of cities cannot be built without the voices of those who will inherit them.

Watch the session live here: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k13/k138ehm19g

UN-HABITAT

20/05/2026

How health systems can better support inclusion, participation, and quality of life?

Join our member @ the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus on 11 June for a side event on building more inclusive health systems.

As the global disability community marks 20 years of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), important inequalities in access to healthcare and support services continue to affect persons with disabilities worldwide.

To contribute to this discussion, IF is organising an interactive webinar on health equity and inclusion for persons with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

🩺 Health as a Pathway to Inclusion
🌍 Advancing Equity for Persons with Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus

This online discussion will bring together global perspectives, country experiences, and practical approaches to explore how health systems can better support inclusion, participation, and quality of life.

📅 11 June 2026
🕝 14:30–16:30 CEST
💻 Online Webinar
👉 Register here: https://bit.ly/IF-COSP19

20/05/2026

What will it take to move from accessibility to truly inclusive housing for all?

Join us today at the Urban Forum 13 for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities roundtable, where Sandra Nyawira, a member of the IDA youth committee, will represent the voices and perspectives of young persons with disabilities.

The roundtable will highlight how universal design and disability inclusion create cities that work better for everyone, improving safety, mobility and quality of life for all urban residents. It will showcase innovative practices and partnerships while exploring policy and financing solutions to advance accessibility through cross-sector collaboration.

Taking place alongside the New Urban Agenda mid-term review and the assessment of SDG 11, the discussion will help shape the Baku Call to Action and reinforce a simple message: accessible and inclusive cities are essential to achieving adequate housing for all.

Co-designed by persons with disabilities, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and partners, the roundtable places participation, representation and lived experience at the centre of the conversation.


Watch it live here at 130 pm: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1f/k1fcqx3qin

15/05/2026

IDA was proud to support the participation of the International Movement of Youth with Disabilities (IMYD) at the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region in Geneva.

The forum brought together representatives from 46 UNECE member states, the European Union, over 25 UN agencies, and approximately 100 civil society, youth, academic, and private sector organisations.

IMYD participated in the forum for the first time, ensuring the voices of young persons with disabilities were heard in key regional discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Over two days, they contributed to discussions on sustainable cities, digital transformation, accessibility, mobility, procurement and integrative development. Importantly, disability inclusion was reflected in the official summary of the co-chairs submitted to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), including references to:

• accessible design plus inclusive design
• disability-disaggregated data
• meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in system design and policy processes.
• broad digital transformation

That is why representation matters. When organisations of people with disabilities and youth-led movements are present in decision-making spaces, disability inclusion becomes part of the agenda.

IDA remains committed to supporting the leadership of young persons with disabilities in shaping sustainable development, public policy, and the future beyond 2030.

Thank you to Opeoluwa Oguntoye and IMYD for your advocacy and leadership.

13/05/2026

Inclusión laboral de personas con discapacidad en Colombia: nueva ley, retos, oportunidades y el papel de la tecnología

Si estás en Bogotá, Colombia, esta es una jornada clave para entender cómo cumplir y liderar el cambio.

se enfrenta a un nuevo escenario en materia de inclusión laboral de personas con discapacidad. La reciente evolución normativa plantea importantes retos para las empresas, pero también abre una oportunidad única para repensar el talento desde la tecnología y la accesibilidad.

En este contexto, la Fundación y impulsan esta jornada presencial para generar un espacio de reflexión, conocimiento y acción que contribuya a avanzar hacia un modelo de empleo más inclusivo.

La jornada está dirigida a todas aquellas organizaciones que necesitan cumplir —o anticiparse— a la nueva ley de inclusión laboral en Colombia, y que quieren abordar este reto desde una perspectiva estratégica, integrando la tecnología, la accesibilidad y el talento.

Este encuentro nace con un objetivo claro: ayudar a las organizaciones a entender y actuar ante el nuevo marco normativo, integrando la tecnología como palanca clave para garantizar una inclusión real y sostenible.

RIADIS

📅 20 de mayo de 2026
🕐 7:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
📍El Cubo Colsubsidio, Bogotá

05/05/2026

Thank you, CBM Australia and Edge for working side by side with and supporting solutions grounded in lived experience.

Partnerships like these matter. When OPDs lead, change is more equitable and more likely to last.

05/05/2026

Join us on Thursday for the last session in our series of World Health Organization (WHO)- IDA global webinars, which will focus on a critical discussion to advance health equity for persons with disabilities: centring organisations of persons with disabilities ( ) in health decision-making processes.

The webinar will feature experts from IDA's members (ASEAN Disability Forum, Down Syndrome International and RIADIS, a Member State (Australia) and the World Health Organization.

🗓 Date: 7 May 2026
🕐 Time: 12:00 to 13:30 CEST

Language interpretation in Arabic, French, Portuguese and Spanish; and International sign and captioning will be available.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UyORpGmIT3K_sPGFpEpS4Q #/registration

Health equity cannot be achieved without the leadership and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities.

Join us in advancing inclusive, rights-based health decision-making processes that truly leave no one behind.