Executive Summary

People with disabilities and their families face disproportionate rates of unemployment and poverty, lack opportunities for educational support and advancement, and barriers to the ballot box and other forms of civic participation. For disabled folks with multiply marginalized identities, these challenges are compounded by other forms of systemic oppression. Disability Belongs is committed to bringing about the systemic change needed to end these inequities by advancing policies and practices that empower people with disabilities to have a better future. We accomplish our mission through four key pillars of work that include education and job training, support for sustained employment, economic independence, and civic engagement.

As a national, cross-disability organization, we serve all people with disabilities in the US. This differentiates us from many other disability organizations that are commonly single-disability focused. In addition to being community-focused, we are also a community-led organization: 81% of our team is disabled, including our President and CEO. With a focus on educational and economic opportunity, our primary constituents are the 22 million education and working age disabled individuals and their families.

We know our most important institutions won’t be fully accessible until there are disabled leaders among their top ranks. Thus, we operate several programs that have trained hundreds of emerging leaders with disabilities for impactful careers in policy, communications, entertainment, and social-change organizations. Everyone deserves to have their voice be heard, so our team promotes the full inclusion and leadership of disabled people in civic engagement and all facets of life in the community.

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