As part of Ford’s work to challenge inequality and advance social justice, we’re committed to promoting the rights and priorities of people with disabilities around the world. These ongoing efforts are tied to our broader commitment to creating a world where all people are empowered to make decisions about their lives. We’re committed to learning every step of the way.

Guided by the disability movement’s mantra, “Nothing about us without us,” we’re working to confront ableism and expand participation and inclusion in both our grantmaking and our organizational practices. This includes:

• Analyzing inequality through a disability lens to ensure that our grantmaking reflects the experiences of people with disabilities. Every office and program team engages in disability grantmaking, whether through disability-specific projects or including the disability community in our broader social justice and human rights funding.
• Launching the foundation’s first-ever U.S. Disability Rights Program, with input from approximately 200 disability leaders
• Making our grantmaking systems and processes more accessible (i.e., ensuring accessible proposal platforms and alternative document formats or allowing additional time and financial support for accommodations)
• Ensuring that our building and events meet or exceed every accessibility standard
• Expanding and improving our digital platforms’ accessibility to meet global web content standards
• Developing event accessibility best practices, including accessible invitations, access guides in advance of the event, accommodations—CART, ASL, and captioning—during the event, and captioned videos after the event
• Reviewing our employment processes—from how we draft job descriptions to how we advertise jobs to how we train managers—to ensure they are inclusive of and accommodating people with disabilities

We still have work to do and are committed to deepening our understanding. Moreover, we are grateful to our grantees, community members, and advisors for their guidance, ideas, and partnership.

Ford resources:

Disability inclusion menu: A variety of ways to explore and strengthen disability inclusion in programs, operations, and organizational culture.

Free video accessibility WordPress plug-in for websites

Disability Inclusion Toolkit provides advice on disability definitions and language guidelines, guidance on accessible events, and disability inclusive employment practices.

Ford reports:

• Evaluation of Ford’s Disability Inclusion Initiative: After six years of prioritizing disability in our operations and grantmaking, Ford partnered with Impel Consulting to conduct an evaluation of Ford’s internal changes.
• Funder guidance and case studies for disability-inclusive grantmaking: Drawn from Ford’s capacity-building efforts with program staff, this guidance is intended to support grantmakers.
• Changing the Face of Disability in the Media: Disability rights leader Judy Heumann’s rigorous study of how disability has typically, and problematically, been portrayed in scripted television and film, from “Sesame Street” to “Breaking Bad,” with examples of progress.

The Disability & Philanthropy Forum hosts a myriad of resources on disability rights and justice.

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