The International Disability Alliance (IDA), in collaboration with the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), conducted the Training of Trainers (ToT) Module B under the Bridge CRPD-SDG Training Initiative in November last year. The training took place in Cairo, Egypt, with support from Disabled Peoples' Organizations Denmark (DPOD), Sightsavers International, Light for the World, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office’s (FCDO) Disability Catalyst Programme, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MOFA), and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The training is the follow up to ToT Module A which was held in Geneva in March 2024, and brought together disability leaders from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific. The participants represented diverse communities, including persons with albinism, psychosocial disabilities, Deafblindness, and the Deaf community, as well as youth with disabilities.
The opening day included remarks from Nawaf Kabbara, President of IDA; Marc Workman, CEO of the World Blind Union; and Martine Abel-Williamson, President of the World Blind Union. Facilitaors included, IDA Secratariat’s Amba Salelkar, Imed Ouertani, Rosario Galarza, Gayatri Sekar; Meenakshi Balasubramaniam from the Center for Inclusive Policy; and Fernanda Santana from Abraca Brazi. Jahda Khalil from the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities (AOPD) provided guidance and support throughout the training.
Facilitators delivered sessions to build participants' knowledge and skills, preparing them to become trainers and lead capacity-building initiatives. Meenakshi Balasubramaniam led a session on budgeting and resourcing for implementation, explaining the basics of budgets as financial plans that combine income and expenses to reflect government priorities. She emphasized how budgets impact everyone, and highlighted opportunities for OPDs to engage at each step of the budget cycle starting from formulation, enactment, implementation, to audit. Kathy Al Jubeh of CBM Global guided participants in evaluating donor relationships. Alexandre Cote of UNICEF, joining virtually, addressed the care and support economy, shedding light on the disproportionate caregiving burden on women and girls and the need for systemic legal reforms including parental leave policies and caregiving monetary transfers.
As part of the training, participants also attended the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12), where the Global Disability Summit (GDS) Secretariat and co-hosts supported the conversation on disability-inclusive urbanization. This year marked a milestone with the introduction of the Accessibility 2030 Pavilion, the first-ever space at WUF dedicated entirely to accessibility—a testament to the growing recognition of the need for inclusive cities.
The Pavilion, a collaboration with the World Blind Union, International Disability Alliance, Global Disability Innovation Hub, UK Aid’s AT2030 Programme, and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), served as a hub of ideas, energy, and action. From urban planners and policymakers to advocates and OPDs, the space provided a platform for various stakeholders to foster partnerships and build momentum toward accessible, resilient cities for everyone.
Part of the events at the Pavilion was an OPD-led conversation on digital inclusion and smart cities. This session focused on how assistive technology and smart city innovations can be leveraged to make urban spaces more inclusive, emphasizing the dependence that digital inclusion has on increased and improved literacy. Participants also discussed the significance of universal design in systemic inclusion in urban spaces. IDA’s Bridge CRPD-SDGs Training of Trainers participants shared insights from their research on compounded barriers to digital access and inclusion, including aspects of gender, economic factors, urban and rural habitat. They also discussed real-world examples of AI-powered assistive technologies, stressing the need for accessible tourism and the importance of including persons with disabilities in the design stage of assistive technology.
At WUF12, ToT participant Krishnamaya from Nepal spoke during the Persons with Disabilities Roundtable, sharing Nepal’s progress in disability-inclusive local action. She highlighted initiatives such as ramps, tactile blocks, and accessible toilets in public buildings across Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Pokhara, as well as the introduction of sign language interpreters in hospitals, courts, and ministries. Her presentation focussed on the impact inclusive policies have on improving accessibility.
Participants also took part in discussions about the upcoming Global Disability Summit in Berlin, Germany, scheduled for April 2025.