Overview of World Institute on Disability

The World Institute on Disability (WID) has spent over four decades at the forefront of advancing disability rights, global inclusion, and innovative solutions that shape policy, practice, and culture. Our impact is rooted in bold ideas, co-created with disabled leaders and allies worldwide, and translated into practical systems that expand opportunity and equity.
Yet, as a think tank and do-tank, our greatest barrier isn’t vision—it’s flexibility. Restricted project funding, while vital, often limits our ability to move at the pace of the world’s challenges. Disability inclusion doesn’t fit neatly into program silos: it cuts across climate resilience, AI and emerging technology, global development, health, education, and workforce systems. To respond nimbly and to lead strategically, WID requires unrestricted capital that fuels our backbone capacity—our ability to convene, to experiment, to evaluate, and to innovate.

With unrestricted support, WID can:
Strengthen our research, communications, and policy infrastructure to scale disability-inclusive solutions.
Sustain and expand programs like DB101, the Global Heumann Fellowship, and the Global Alliance for Disaster Resource Acceleration.
Seize opportunities for influence—whether shaping AI standards, advising multilateral bodies, or mobilizing grassroots response during disasters—without waiting for narrowly defined funding streams.

We are also intentionally seeking strategic partnerships—with philanthropy, corporations, and academic institutions. Universities and research centers bring rigor, data, and networks that amplify WID’s applied expertise. Together, we can produce scholarship that shapes public policy, evaluate and improve disability-inclusive innovations, and train the next generation of leaders who understand accessibility as central to equity. Academic partnerships expand our reach, while grounding our work in evidence that moves systems.

In short, WID’s ask is twofold: unrestricted investment to power our vision, and strategic alliances that embed disability inclusion across sectors and disciplines. With these commitments, WID can continue to lead globally with integrity, agility, and impact—building a world where disabled people not only belong, but thrive.