International Women's Day: The Missing Piece in the Care Conversation
International Women’s Day: we sat down with CIP experts to reflect on issues that particularly concern women with disabilities, especially the CARE AGENDA.
Why must they be central to the global care conversation? And what policies are needed for truly inclusive systems?
Interview: bit.ly/4rTJimy
The indicator you choose changes the story... and the solutions.
Numbers don’t lie, but they can hide the truth. We just need to learn how to interpret them.
Many people use the Unemployment Rate to measure exclusion... But is it the right tool?
Welcome to our #StatOfTheMonth: bit.ly/4l0sPKO
Rosangela Berman Bieler.
We are incredibly honored to welcome Rosangela Berman Bieler to our Board.
For over 40 years, Rosangela has advanced disability rights and inclusive development, playing a key role in shaping the global movement, including contributing to the UNCRPD.
Her wisdom will help guide the path ahead.
Illustrated slide with the headline “Spending more just to live the same?” explaining that people with disabilities face extra costs to reach the same standard of living as others. The visual shows a person looking concerned while coins fall into a piggy bank, symbolizing financial pressure. Center for Inclusive Policy logo appears at the bottom.
When we talk about poverty and disability, it isn't just about standard measures of poverty. It's about extra costs.
Knowing the difference is key to designing fair, inclusive policies.
Explore our report “Estimating the Extra Costs for Disability for Social Protection Programs”: bit.ly/4qoHXCH
Save this! New UN guidelines on accessible surveys are out, offering practical recommendations to make data collection more inclusive of persons with disabilities.
We were glad to contribute as one of several reviewers of an earlier draft.
Download it here: unstats.un.org/iswghs/docum...
Authors reflect on why listening to adults with disabilities matters, what's lost when care is only reported by those without disabilities, and how recognizing overlapping care roles reshapes policy: bit.ly/3M9mDTR
Explore what more responsive care systems could look like in Colombia and beyond.
Armenia replaced a medical disability assessment with a social, digital, functioning-based model.
Follow us behind the scenes with an evaluation of Armenia’s Disability Assessment Reform, a joint effort by the
@cipofficial.bsky.social and ADB.
Read the interview:
New Article! Unsatisfied Care Needs of Adults with Disabilities in Bogota, Colombia.
66.3% of adults with disabilities in Bogota, Colombia, have unmet care needs.
35.7% provide care.
New Center for Inclusive Policy research shows how care needs and disability intersect in practice.
Article published in @mdpiopenaccess.bsky.social: www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/6/...
Government budgets drive action, so they must be analyzed before numbers lock in.
Pacta’s final report on allocations for persons with disabilities, released ahead of India’s Union Budget 2026–27.
We contributed CIP’s budget analysis approach and input on the Union Budget.
Here: bit.ly/49DBHAW
Armenia replaced a medical disability assessment with a social, digital, functioning-based model.
Follow us behind the scenes with an evaluation of Armenia’s Disability Assessment Reform, a joint effort by the @inclusivepolicy.bsky.social and ADB.
The way forward: Everyone deserves to live independently and participate fully. Bridging the care and disability agendas is essential. We must move from fragmented programs to integrated systems, built with and for all people.
If care and disability matter to you, help move the conversation forward.
Sharing evidence is one way to push for better policy: inclusive-policy.org/disability-p...
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Care and disability sectors have long worked in silos. It’s time to change that. We need gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, age-sensitive care systems; support that promotes autonomy; and recognition and resources for caregivers.
When care and disability policies are designed separately, gaps are inevitable.
Bringing these agendas together isn’t optional, it’s essential for effective systems.
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Many caregivers are also women with disabilities. Over 15% of adults with disabilities in Bogotá care for others, often without support themselves, according to an ongoing study. Caregivers of people with disabilities are often women over 50, who may need support themselves due to their age, in Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Sources cited: Pinilla-Roncancio et al. and Pereira, Center for Inclusive Policy.
Caregivers are often invisible in policy, especially when they are older women or women with disabilities themselves.
Ignoring this reality means designing systems that don’t work for those who rely on them most.
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People with disabilities often need more care and support, but most don’t receive it. Support isn’t optional: it’s essential and should be provided in a way that preserves autonomy. Over 45% report unmet care and support needs across seven countries studied. Source: Pereira, Center for Inclusive Policy.
Care systems should enable choice, dignity, and autonomy, not force people to cope alone.
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In Chile or Nicaragua, over 82% of caregivers of people with disabilities are women. Source cited as Pereira, Center for Inclusive Policy, based on disability survey estimates.
When disability enters the picture, gender inequalities in care become even sharper.
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Women and girls undertake most care and support work. But one essential dimension remains overlooked in the global care agenda: disability inclusion. Without it, millions lack the support to live independently and participate fully.
EVIDENCE DROP! Care and disability are often discussed separately, but people don’t live their lives that way.
We’re reflecting on why addressing care and disability together is essential to building systems that support autonomy, independent living, and full participation in society.
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Graphic announcing a new report titled “Armenia’s Disability Assessment Reform.” The cover shows the logos of the Center for Inclusive Policy and the Asian Development Bank, with illustrated icons representing law, rights, and social protection over a map of Armenia, in green and blue tones.
Armenia is setting a regional precedent by transforming its disability assessment system.
This new report, co-published with the @adb.org, explores the shift to a rights-based, digitally enabled approach to disability benefits.
Read it here: inclusive-policy.org/wp-content/u...
Graphic titled Disability and the Care Agenda. It states that across seven low and middle income countries, more than 45 percent of persons with disabilities have unmet care and support needs. Illustration of a person sitting alone inside a house, imagining being outdoors with support.
You can explore the full Care Agenda Brief here: inclusive-policy.org/wp-content/u...
And for a closer look at the stories behind the data, watch our video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=USa3...
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Graphic explaining that in some contexts, disability-related costs for children can reach 68 to 100 percent of average household income, making equal participation nearly impossible without adequate support. Illustration of an open wallet on a blue background.
Our video dives deeper into why these numbers matter.
Watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksrj...
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Graphic titled Social Protection. It explains that persons with disabilities face higher costs of living, which can push households below the poverty line when disability-related expenses are included. Illustration of a piggy bank, coins, and a downward line on a blue background.
Find the full picture in our Social Protection Brief: inclusive-policy.org/wp-content/u...
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Graphic explaining that in several countries, 96% of disability spending goes almost entirely to cash transfers, leaving very limited funding for assistive devices or community support, even though many persons with disabilities need these services to participate equally. The image includes a long green bar labeled ‘cash transfers’ and a very small bar labeled ‘assistive devices or community support,’ on a black background.
See the full breakdown in our Budget Analysis Brief: inclusive-policy.org/wp-content/u...
And if you prefer visuals or audio, here’s the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jmX...
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Graphic titled ‘Budget Analysis.’ It highlights that in low- and middle-income countries, government spending on disability-related programs ranges from 0.01% to 0.80% of GDP. The text notes that it’s not only about how much is being spent but how it is being spent. The illustration includes a calculator, a clipboard, and a pencil on a black background.
Our Disability Policy Insight series was created to break down complex policy topics into accessible insights that support inclusive decision-making.
Because when policy becomes clearer, participation becomes possible.
Explore all reports and videos here: inclusive-policy.org/disability-p...
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Donate.
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Share our posts.
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Thanks for helping data open doors.
Meenakshi Balasubramanian, CIP Senior Research Associate, sits in her wheelchair.A text overlay shows her quote: “This day informs the community that a group of people are marginalised, invisible, and experience discrimination on a daily basis. It reminds us of the gap between what needs to be done and what is happening to reduce inequality.”
During the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, our team reflected on what this day represents. Here is one of those voices.
Thank you, Meenakshi, for your commitment at @inclusivepolicy.bsky.social to building the inclusive society we all deserve, with data lighting the way.
New CIP Instagram account: @centerforinclusivepolicy
To wrap up this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we’re excited to share that we’ve officially launched our Instagram account: www.instagram.com/centerforinc...
We’ll be sharing our disability data, evidence, and key insights: all in one place. Follow us and stay connected!
Evidence is our roadmap. Action is our responsibility. This International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we call for: better data, stronger financing, and policies that enable participation, autonomy, and equality for all.
EVIDENCE IS OUR ROADMAP.
Learn more: inclusive-policy.org/reports-and-...
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Disability creates significant extra costs for households. Once extra costs of living are considered, the measured poverty rate for people with disabilities increases. For example, in the US once accounting for extra costs the poverty rate for persons with disabilities rises from 24% to 35%. In Ghana, from 38.5 %to 52.9%.
Source | Methodological Guidelines on Assessing Household Disability: Related Costs and Their Implication for Participation (The World Bank, with the support of @inclusivepolicy.bsky.social): bit.ly/48xn3dI
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In five of these countries, 40% or more report either • receiving less support than they need, or • needing support but receiving none at all. Why it matters: Without adequate support, autonomy and participation remain out of reach.
Source | The Care Economy and Disability Inclusion in Low and Middle-Income Countries (The World Bank, with the support of @inclusivepolicy.bsky.social): bit.ly/4po3xYE
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More than 20% of persons with disabilities report unmet care and support needs, across the nine countries analyzed.
Source | The Care Economy and Disability Inclusion in Low and Middle-Income Countries (The World Bank, with the support of @inclusivepolicy.bsky.social): bit.ly/4po3xYE
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Poverty multiplies exclusion: among the poorest households, children with disabilities are 4× more likely to be out of school. Why it matters: Education is the foundation for participation, and millions are still left behind.
Source: Global Disability Inclusion Report (Co-edited by @inclusivepolicy.bsky.social with @unicef.org & @lshtm.bsky.social): bit.ly/48f9m4m
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