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The Indian government has proposed new rules to improve access to assistive devices for people with disabilities. A planned online portal will manage certification, purchase, and complaints. The draft rules set standards for device types—essential, specialised, and emerging—ensuring safety, qual...

Universal Design for Learning and Digital Accessibility: Frameworks for Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education for Students with Disabilities in Higher Education Posted on September 19, 2025 Tamar Makharashvili Social Scientist | PhD Candidate (UDL) | Accessibility Audit & Inclusive Tourism Exper...

Government partners with youth and communities to boost workplace access for people with disabilities

Learn more about Google’s efforts supporting National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

WHO has launched the WHO Disability Health Equity Initiative, a landmark global initiative to advance health equity for over 1.3 billion people with disabilities.Unveiled on 10 June 2025, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York during the 18th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the initiative marks a bold step toward achieving health equity for all. The initiative aims to guide governments, health institutions, and communities in addressing barriers to care, promoting inclusive policies, and strengthening data and research on disability and health. Over 150 participants—government leaders, civil society, academia, and persons with disabilities—gathered in person, while many more joined online.Darryl Barrett, WHO’s Technical Lead on Disability presented a bold vision for the initiative. He discussed persistent systemic failures – political inaction, underinvestment, fragmented collaboration, and the exclusion of organizations of persons with disabilities – as critical barriers to progress. “Health systems are not fit-for-purpose,” Barrett said. “If we agree on Health for All, then we must agree that services must be inclusive and accessible. Right now, we can’t say that with confidence.”The Initiative is built around four strategic pillars:Leadership by persons with disabilities and their organizationsPolitical prioritization of disability-inclusive healthInclusive health systems and service deliveryStrengthening data and evidenceBarrett also outlined how this new initiative will facilitate strategic engagement with key partners to advance health equity for persons with disabilities, including through a multi-stakeholder network, partnerships with the private sector, technical guidance development, and support for country-level implementation. He emphasized that WHO’s work has been shaped by years of collaboration with diverse partners, including organizations of persons with disabilities. “We at WHO haven’t done this by ourselves,” Barrett noted. “The strong presence of partners – both in the room and online – reflects the shared commitment needed to drive meaningful, lasting change.”David Duncan, Special Olympics athlete and Chair of the Global Athlete Leadership Council, delivered a powerful testimony about the discrimination people with intellectual and developmental conditions often face in health care. “Invisible, unknown, disrespected... but I know it’s possible to do better – and that’s something everyone deserves,” Duncan said.Norway’s Minister of Culture and Equality, Lubna Jaffery, issued a powerful call to action, urging governments to close health access gaps and uphold the rights of persons with disabilities. Emphasizing access to health services, reproductive autonomy for women with disabilities, and expanded availability of assistive products, Jaffery affirmed Norway’s leadership in disability-inclusive development. “Inclusion is not just a policy, it is a principle and we are committed to making it a reality for all.”Sweden’s Director-General of the Agency for Participation, Malin Ekman-Aldén, echoed this commitment, stressing that advancing health equity for persons with disabilities is a human rights imperative. She highlighted Sweden’s continued investments in inclusive development and welcomed the WHO initiative as a key driver of accountability, better data, and systemic change.Dirk Platzen, Director at Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, underscored the need for political leadership in building inclusive health systems. Introducing Australia’s new International Disability Equity and Rights Strategy, he called for recognition of health as a fundamental human right, not a privilege.Representing Germany, Michael Schloms of the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development emphasized international collaboration, sustainable financing, and shared responsibility. Reflecting on Germany’s experience hosting global disability events and co-leading the Global Disability Summit, he reaffirmed support for the initiative and the Amman-Berlin Declaration.Speakers from civil society, funding agencies, and academia highlighted the importance of funding, civil society engagement, and academic research in sustaining momentum and ensuring accountability. Ola Abualghaib, Director of the Global Disability Fund, emphasized the Fund Strategy’s alignment with the new WHO initiative. Hannah Loryman, Co-Chair of the International Disability and Development Consortium UN Task Force, stressed the vital role of civil society in advocacy, technical input, and accountability. Bonnielin Swenor, Director of the Disability Health Research Center at Johns Hopkins University, highlighted academia’s responsibility to advance disability health equity through inclusive research, education, and community engagement. She called for a paradigm shift from “living with a disability” to “thriving with a disability,” driven by data and implementation science.This initiative offers a pathway to making better choices - choices that ensure dignity, autonomy, and the right to health for all persons with disabilities.Jarrod Clyne / Deputy Director of the International Disability AllianceAudience members raised critical issues including the need for sustainable health system funding in humanitarian crises, the inclusion of Deaf people and persons with a psychosocial condition, the importance of training health professionals, digital health acccessibility, and support for independent living – highlighting the diverse and intersectional challenges that must be addressed to achieve true health equity for persons with disabilities.Jarrod Clyne, Deputy Executive Director of the International Disability Alliance, closed the event by stressing the importance of persistence, partnership, and shared responsibility. “This initiative offers a pathway to making better choices – choices that ensure dignity, autonomy, and the right to health for all persons with disabilities,” he said.

A new project at Code for America aims to help state and local governments make their documents more accessible in time for a 2026 deadline.

GovTech's guide to digital accessibility and inclusive design. Explore examples of inclusive design and how we foster digital inclusion in Singapore.

All digital Xbox games are getting accessibility tags from Microsoft to tell you what features to expect.

BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Millions of people living with disabilities have seen their lives improve as China made major strides in accessibility, inclusion and...

UNDRR, in partnership with ATscale, has led a global study on inclusive disaster risk reduction and climate action for AT users. The findings have informed the development of a draft policy brief, now available for public consultation.

Issue 3: Unlocking Equal Access in Higher Education through Digital Accessibility (July 2025). Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires state and local government entities, including public universities, to provide equal access to their services, programs, and activities, which now includes a specific standard for digital content as the result of a [...]

Ensuring the digital economy remains accessible to all is vital in counterbalancing tech-driven inequality, and AI could be a powerful driver of inclusion.

The FAIR Forward initiative is strengthening technical know-how on AI and increasing digital participation through AI bootcamps, local language files for AI solutions and more.

On 5 June 2025, a Special Session titled “Digital Inclusion and AI Ethics: Building Human-Centered Digital Futures” brought together global experts to explore the intersection of artificial

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) takes effect on June 28, 2025, requiring EU streaming platforms and websites to make all newly published audiovisual content accessible through features like subtitles and audio descriptions. Organizations must self-declare compliance with EN 301 549 standards and can only claim exemptions by proving disproportionate burden, marking a major shift toward mandatory digital inclusivity across the EU.

Discover how AI is enhancing accessibility in 2025, breaking barriers and fostering a more inclusive digital world