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Inclusive Participation Toolbox
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  • Why participation

    Basic principles around disability and participation and their connection to international frameworks

    Overview: Why participation
    • A closer look at disability & participation
    • Requirements of international frameworks
  • In practice

    A set of guidance on how to implement participation in everyday life and work

    Overview: Participation in practice
    • Key enablers of participation
    • Inclusive language and interaction
    • Requirements of marginalised groups
    • Participation in project cycle management
    • Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID)
  • Get connected

    Information on Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and how to find and work with them

    Overview: Get connected
    • What are OPDs
    • Working with OPDs
    • OPD network
    • Information for OPDs
  • Supporting material

    Download section for a variety of material to guide your advocacy work and project planning around participation

    Overview: Supporting material
    • Checklists
    • Presentations
    • Additional resources
    • Case studies
    • Glossary
    • Mailing list
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  2. Participation in practice
  3. Requirements of marginalised groups
  4. Intersectionality

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is an approach that tries to understand the complexity of people rather than thinking along single-dimensional concepts of identity. This is a key when it comes to analysing and challenging inequality and injustice.

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Power Flower: Our intersecting identities

Persons with disabilities are not one homogenous group. The same applies to women, men, children, migrants, refugees, or any other generalised grouping. Every human being is a combination of different characteristics that determine their identity. When several of these characteristics intersect, and if they are associated with negative perceptions, the risk of being discriminated against increases. Persons with disabilities are often superficially defined only by their impairment, disregarding other characteristics. And while it is true that impairments are often a cause of discrimination, factors such as ethnic origin, religious affiliation, gender, age and other characteristics can be further grounds for exclusion. In most cases, if only a minority of the population has a certain characteristic, the risk for discrimination because of this factor increases. The greatest exception to this rule is gender, as half of the world population is female, but males often hold more power.

A concept first used by Kimberlé Crenshaw

Kimberle Crenshaw used intersectionality to explain the various ways in which race and gender interact to shape the multiple dimensions of black women’s employment experiences. It is more widely used now to understand the intersection between forms of oppression, domination or discrimination.

Screenshot of a black woman facing the camera. This video will open on YouTube.
Watch this statement by Kimberlé Crenshaw about the meaning of intersectionality

Neither a disability lens, nor a gender lens, nor a children’s rights lens alone can reflect the reality of human diversity. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognises intersectionality, and the reality of multiple and intersectional discrimination. It refers to other human rights frameworks protecting groups at risk of discrimination and exclusion with provisions on the rights women and girls (article 6) and children (article 7) with disabilities. It also and refers to several other marginalised groups explicitly.

Further Reading

  • CBM’s Disability and Gender Analysis Toolkit.
  • UN Women & UNPRPD Toolkit: Intersectionality Resource and Guide Toolkit: An Intersectional Approach to Leave No One Behind
  • The work of the International Disability Alliance (IDA) on Intersectionality

Requirements of marginalised groups

  • Intersectionality
  • Children with disabilities
  • Indigenous persons with disabilities
  • Older persons with disabilities
  • Women with disabilities

Supporting material

  • 10 Forget-me-nots for meaningful participation
  • Inclusive language and interaction
  • Checklists
  • OPD database

You may also like

  • Women with disabilities
  • A closer look at disability and participation
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Christian Blind Mission e.V.
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