Membership Criteria

Membership of IDA is open to international organizations meeting the following criteria:

  1. A global umbrella structure, comprising member organizations from individual countries
  2. Persons with disabilities have a majority in the governing body of the organization, including its general assembly or in the case of persons with an intellectual disability where persons with intellectual disability and family members are in the majority.
  3. Representative in nature, with leadership elected by members
  4. Organizational structure constituted through democratic processes

Membership of IDA is also open to regional organizations meeting the following criteria:

  1. A regional organisation open to membership and inclusive of all regional organisations of international IDA members as well as representative national umbrella organisations of persons with disabilities
  2. Where IDA organizations are not represented in a region, the regional organisation commits to support and promote the establishment of regional organisations in collaboration with the international IDA members concerned, and work for the membership and inclusion of those organisations in the regional organisation
  3. Persons with disabilities, including persons with intellectual disabilities and their families, have a majority in the governing body of the organization, including its general assembly
  4. Representative in nature, with leadership elected by members
  5. Organizational structure constituted through democratic processes

Organizations meeting some, but not all, of these criteria may be admitted as observer members upon unanimous agreement by existing IDA members with the condition that the new organization works towards meeting all IDA Terms of Reference criteria in a specified and agreed period of time.

A potential member of IDA will provide its rules of association, list of members, letter of agreement to the Terms of Reference, and such additional documents that may be required by IDA, for consideration and approval by IDA members.

The IDA Governing Body will establish a Membership Committee composed of the General Secretary, who chairs the Committee, and 2 members elected by the IDA Governing Body.

Important! Moratorium on new memberships

IDA is currently finalizing the process to become legally incorporated.
The new statutes of IDA will include revised membership criteria.
In view of this, IDA decided at its last Governing Body meeting held in Athens (March 2012) to have a moratorium on new memberships until the process of legal incorporation has been completed.
The Governing Body of IDA also decided to inform all interested stakeholders that IDA continues to be committed to working with all stakeholders, in particular with regional and global DPOs, that are committed to the full and effective implementation of the UN CRPD.