Disability is a unique perspective, and embracing different perspectives makes us stronger

Ignoring disability doesn’t just harm individuals with disabilities—it weakens the entire society. A community that values every member is more innovative, empathetic, and resilient. Embracing disability ensures that everyone can contribute, thrive, and feel valued.

Over the last 40 years, Ashoka has worked closely with social innovators in this field to learn that the main issue for a society that disregards people with disabilities, is exclusion—leading to missed potential, inequality, and systemic barriers that weaken the fabric of all society.

An urgent need to increase funding going to the field of disability where it matters the most

There are 1.3 billion people with disabilities worldwide—approximately 1 in 6 individuals. Despite this, only about 2% of total philanthropic giving in the US is directed towards disability-related causes, with a mere 0.1% specifically aimed at disability rights and social justice. And while 80% of people with disabilities live in developing countries, only a small percentage of this already limited funding supports people in those communities.

This stark imbalance highlights the critical need for increased investment in disability-focused initiatives, particularly in underserved regions.

“Nothing about us without us”

True progress in accessibility efforts requires solutions designed and led by people with disabilities themselves. Yet, only 10% of nonprofit organizational leaders have disabilities, and these leaders often run less-resourced organizations.

At Ashoka, we are committed to spotlighting and supporting solutions spearheaded by people with disabilities. Ensuring the participation and agency of this community is essential for us to achieve an Everyone a Changemaker World.

Meet our network

“Walking the talk”

At Ashoka, we strive to embrace disability across all aspects of the organization. As we continue to learn, we will deepen our understanding and accelerate our actions.

Actions we are already undertaking include:

We created the Building an Accessible and Inclusive Ashoka guidelines (BAIA) and trained staff across the global organization to make our operations more accessible and inclusive.
We want to select more Ashoka Fellows working in the field of disability. Ashoka searches the world for leading social entrepreneurs through an intensive, human-centered process, selecting them into our global, trust-based fellowship of peers. For more see here.