Series on Disability-Inclusive Development / Inclusion Counts

One out of every seven people on the planet are women, men, girls, and boys with disabilities, and according to the UN at least 80% of these billion people are estimated to live in developing countries where they make up a disproportionate percentage of the poorest sections of the community. Yet, we know that many of the previous global efforts to reduce poverty, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), did not expressly include persons with disabilities. The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has the potential to open doors for disability-inclusive development (DID). However, the commonly-held perception is that DID interventions are financially unfeasible or are too difficult to achieve, particularly in low-income countries. This publication challenges that perception based on a comprehensive review conducted in 2014 by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). It discusses the following: oHow international disability-inclusive development and cooperation in education and training, health, work and livelihood contributes to inclusive societies by supporting implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities, thereby ensuring their full inclusion and participation in society. oHow exclusion of women, men, girls, and boys with disabilities in areas such as health, education, training, and work propagates poverty and leads to a range of economic costs for persons with disabilities, their households and society as a whole. oThe positive impact and long-term economic gains from investing in inclusion to persons with disabilities, their households and society as a whole. oThe legal and policy context (e.g., aid effectiveness), which obligates governments to invest in DID cooperation. oExamples of how these investments in key sectors have created opportunities for people with disabilities and the wider society in which they live. "Inklusion - ein Gewinn für alle" is the German version of this publication.