The majority of people living with disabilities live in low- and middle-income countries, often in difficult circumstances due to the lack of adequate services and opportunities. As a result, numerous NGOs, consultancies, and advocacy groups play an active part in promoting inclusivity, influencing policies, and providing assistance — and prevention where possible — to people living with disabilities.
This month, the United Nations launched its first flagship report on disability and the Sustainable Development Goals, which revealed people with disabilities are at a disadvantage in the achievement of the majority of the SDGs. Coinciding with the report, Devex and partners launched the Development Enabled series to open up conversations around disability to advance efforts and support a more inclusive world.
Devex’s Development Enabled series:
Development Enabled explores the daily challenges of people with disabilities, while looking at solutions on how to support a disability-inclusive world.
Devex has compiled a list of some of the largest organizations, with over 100 employees, working on disability rights and programs in the development sector. If you are looking to work on these issues, here are some potential employers to consider.
Type: NGO
Staff: 101-250
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Locations: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda
ADD International partners with disability activists in Africa and Asia to help them access tools, resources, and support in order to build movements to influence change. It focuses on shaping global policy, empowering women, inclusive education, and the right to work for people with disabilities.
Association of People with Disability
Type: NGO
Staff: 251-500
Headquarters: Bangalore, India
Locations: Districts of Bijapur, Davanagere, Kolar, and Bangalore Urban
APD has been working to reach out and rehabilitate people with disabilities from underprivileged backgrounds in rural and urban Karnataka, India, over the last 60 years. It has a number of programs including early intervention; inclusive education; livelihood program; spinal cord injury rehabilitation; disability and rehabilitation; collaborations; and human resource training conducted by the Institute of Disability, Rehabilitation and Research. It aims to enable and empower those who are differently abled by ensuring opportunities, promoting inclusion, and supporting access to rights and entitlements.
Type: NGO
Staff: 501-1000
Headquarters: Bensheim, Germany
Locations: Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
Regional offices: Quito, Bangalore, Bangkok, Manila, Nairobi, Lomé, and Cape Town
CBM International is a Christian organization working to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and encourage inclusive development in communities experiencing the greatest poverty across the globe. It works across three core areas: blindness prevention and management, disability inclusive emergency response and preparedness, and community-based rehabilitation. It also works with over 400 partner organizations in 63 different countries to deliver its projects to over 30 million people.
View CBM International’s current openings here.
Type: Implementing NGO
Staff: 1,500
Headquarters: New Cumberland, United States
Locations: 26 developing countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East
CURE International is the largest provider of pediatric surgical care in the developing world. It treats children with correctable conditions such as clubfoot; cleft lip and palate; hydrocephalus; and other physical impairments. It employs 1,500 professionals comprising of surgeons; physicians; hospital and specialty program administrators; medical directors; anesthesiologists; nurses and nurse managers; financial controllers; and mission support center team members among others.
View CURE International’s current openings here.
Type: NGO
Staff: 101-250
Headquarters: New York, United States
Locations: 21 countries across Africa and Asia
Regional offices: Dakar, Nairobi, Phnom Penh, and Paris
Helen Keller International is one of the oldest international NGOs working to prevent blindness and reduce malnutrition worldwide by tackling the causes and consequences of blindness, poor health, and malnutrition. It has over 120 programs operating in 20 countries across Africa and Asia, as well as the ChildSight program which provides free vision screenings and prescriptions eyeglasses to children living in poverty in the U.S.
View Helen Keller International’s current openings here.
Type: NGO
Staff: 1,001-5,000
Headquarters: Lyon, France
Locations: 68 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East
Humanity & Inclusion work on the frontlines of global emergencies, promoting disability rights, providing rehabilitation, and ensuring people live safely after conflict. It now operates in nearly 60 countries and was founded to respond to the needs of 6,000 Cambodian amputees living in refugee camps along the Thai border in 1982. Humanity & Inclusion staff and volunteers now work on hundreds of projects worldwide.
Humanity & Inclusion currently has a large number of openings, view them here.
Type: Advocacy NGO
Staff: 101-250
Headquarters: Colchester, United Kingdom
Locations: Bangladesh, India, and Mozambique
Lepra works directly with communities in India, Bangladesh, and Mozambique to diagnose, treat, educate, and rehabilitate people affected by leprosy. It raises awareness and fights prejudice as well as training health care workers, pushing for early detection, and conducting research. It assists communities and individuals to help them improve their health, lives, and livelihoods.
View all of Lepra’s current openings here.
Type: Implementing NGO
Staff: 130+
Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Locations: Brazil, Mozambique, Nigeria, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Thailand, and Madagascar
Regional offices: Seven across Asia, Africa, and Latin America
NLR combats leprosy via early detection, treatment, and rehabilitation, and promotes full inclusivity of people affected by leprosy and disabilities into society. Its head office is located in the Netherlands with activities in 12 countries worldwide. The three main priorities are prevention and early detection of leprosy; prevention of disabilities; and empowerment.
Type: NGO
Staff: 5,001-10,000
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Locations: 54 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe
Regional offices: Bangalore, Bangkok, Nairobi, and Lusaka
Leonard Cheshire is a U.K.-based global NGO working with partner organizations in countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. It is led by people with experience of disability assisting differently abled individuals to live, learn, and work independently. It provides support through communities, partnership, and insight.
Type: NGO
Staff: 101-250
Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
Locations: 16 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America
Offices: Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Netherlands, and Germany
Light for the World is an international disability and development organization with programs in 15 countries working to strengthen the rights of persons with disabilities, enabling them to lead self-sustaining lives, and reducing systemic poverty through inclusivity of persons with disabilities. It has four main focus areas: eye health, independent living, inclusive education, and disability rights. It employs salaried, unsalaried, and freelance staff as well as offering internships.
View current openings at Light for the World here.
Devex’s Development Enabled series partners include:
► Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
DFAT provides foreign, trade, and development policy advice to the Government of Australia. The department’s purpose is to help make Australia stronger, safer, and more prosperous by promoting and protecting Australia’s interests internationally and contributing to global stability and economic growth.
► CBM International
CBM International is an international Christian organization working, with partners, to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities in the poorest communities of the world.
► Essilor
Essilor is a world leader in ophthalmic optics and a key player in visual health. Their mission is to improve lives by improving sight.
► International Disability Alliance
The International Disability Alliance is an alliance of eight global and six regional organizations of persons with disabilities.
► Scope Global
Scope Global delivers inclusive international development and education programs throughout Australia, Asia, and the Pacific that enable people to positively change their world.
► Sightsavers
Sightsavers is an international NGO working to prevent avoidable blindness, support equality for people with disabilities, and advocate for change.
Type: Nonprofit
Staff: 272
Headquarters: Edenvale, South Africa
Location: South Africa
Little Eden provides care to children and adults with intellectual disabilities at two custom-designed residential facilities in South Africa, to help them reach their full potential. There is almost a one-to-one ratio of staff to residents and staff are also offered a “Caring for the Carers” program on a weekly basis where they are invited to participate in 45 minutes of “time-out” to recharge and renew.
Type: NGO
Staff: 251-500
Headquarters: Ponte Lambro, Italy
Locations: South Sudan, Sudan, Brazil, Ecuador, China, and Morocco
OVCI offers rehabilitation, training, social work, basic health, and development education to people — mainly children — with disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It uses the community-based rehabilitation approach to ensure equal opportunities and social inclusion to people with disabilities.
Type: Development consulting
Staff: Approximately 300
Headquarters: Adelaide, Australia
Locations: Australia, Asia, and the Pacific
Scope Global delivers inclusive international development and education programs throughout Australia, Asia, and the Pacific that enable people to positively change their world. It facilitates study, research, and professional development opportunities and assists governments and communities to improve the lives of their citizens and members.
View Scope Global’s current openings here.
Type: Implementing NGO
Staff: 251-500
Headquarters: Melksham, United Kingdom
Locations: 30 countries across Africa and Asia
Sightsavers work to combat avoidable blindness in developing countries, ensure people with disabilities can participate equally in society, and support people who are irreversibly blind by providing education, counseling, and training. Roles within the organization span programs; communications; research; operations; policy and advocacy; and fundraising.
Looking for a career in disability inclusion? Visit our job board to see current openings here.
Did we forget any major aid organizations working in disability inclusion? Let us know by placing your comments below.
For more coverage on creating a disability-inclusive world, visit the Development Enabled series here.
About the author
Lottie Watters
Lottie Watters formerly covered career and hiring trends, tips, and insights. Lottie has a background in geography and journalism, taking a particular interest in grassroots international development projects. She has worked with organizations delivering clean water and sanitation projects globally.
