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The Road to Disability Inclusion Report

February 8, 2024

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The Road to Disability Inclusion

Each journey tells a story. In The Road to Disability Inclusion, a Disability & Philanthropy Forum report, we examine three stories:

A group of disabled people on a platform, raised up by rainbow columns, above clouds. A blind person, someone in a wheelchair with a service dog, an amputated person in a suit, and a little person in business attire. Colorful background buildings with different abstract shapes.

How Do We Create an Accessible, Tech-Forward World?

This story reflects the impact of philanthropic organizations providing funding for innovative accessible technology that serves to bridge gaps in a world not designed with disabled people in mind.

“Back in the 90s or early 2000s, everyone was talking about the digital divide and how we wanted to get the internet to everyone. I strongly believe there has always been a communication divide within the disabled community. One that still exists.” – Josh Miele, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient

A group of disabled people on a platform, raised up by rainbow columns, above clouds. A blind person, someone in a wheelchair with a service dog, an amputated person in a suit, and a little person in business attire. Colorful background buildings with different abstract shapes.

The Benefits of Disability Disclosure in Philanthropic Workplaces

This story is a call to action for philanthropy to recognize the transformational power of creating safe spaces for disabled employees to self-disclose.

“I think, as a global society, we’re afraid of disability. It makes us acknowledge our own mortality in a lot of ways, and people do not like that. If you are not disabled, and you do not have to regularly interact with your own limitations, it can be really startling to acknowledge that one in four U.S. adults has a disability.” – Charlotte Haase, Communication and Data Manager, Maryland Philanthropy Network

Tracings of the Presidents’ Council members in discussion, around tables. They wear bright colored clothing. Round tables rise with stacks of rainbow columns. Surrounded by ribbons of dark and light blue, to represent disability.

Fostering a Culture of Inclusion: A Road Paved with Progress, Not Perfection

This story offers an honest look at what it takes to shift toward and sustain a disability-inclusive culture within and surrounding a philanthropic organization. 

“Taking the [Disability Inclusion] Pledge drew attention to how our best can be better. And the concrete steps that we agreed to as a signatory raise the level of responsibility because we’re accountable.” – Kym Eisner, Executive Director, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation

Collectively, each story is reflective of the journey we have been on and where the disability community is moving forward. The Disability & Philanthropy Forum’s mission is threefold: mobilize philanthropy to dismantle ableism by increasing funding for disability inclusion, rights, and justice; amplify the leadership of disabled people in the philanthropic sector; and educate philanthropy to build a culture of inclusion. The three featured articles illustrate the Forum’s strategic goals and reflect the course we are traveling to a disability-inclusive philanthropic sector.

The Road to Disability Inclusion also includes:

  • A Message from the Presidents’ Council Co-Chairs
  • Highlights of the Forum’s 2023 Accomplishments
  • An Overview and Background of the Forum’s Strategic Plan
  • A Look Into PEAK’s Disability Inclusion Pledge Journey
View the PDF Report
Illustration tracing of the members of the disability philanthropy forum. Sarah Napoli, Emily Harris, Gail Fuller, Emily Ladau, Noor Al-Ahmadi, and Olivia Williams. They are wearing bright clothes in reds, pinks, blues, yellows, and black.