Bridging the inclusion gap in sexual and reproductive health and rights

Currently, far too many people with disabilities around the world are denied control over their health and are restricted in their choices about having a family.

To help address this inequality, we must move beyond recognition of disability rights to practical action that ensures nobody is left behind.

I was fortunate to attend the latest International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Bogotá, Colombia at the end of 2025. Many of the key talking points at that event continue to resonate with me as we start a fresh year.

One of the sessions I attended focused on the gap between policy and lived reality in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). It drew on evidence from very different contexts and kept returning to the same uncomfortable truth. Services may exist on paper, rights may be recognised by law, yet access remains uneven, fragile, and deeply shaped by social norms, stigma and informal power structures. The message is clear: equity does not automatically follow policy.

Equity for whom, and how?

I continue to reflect on the theme of the conference: ‘Equity through action’. While it sounds powerful, I keep returning to a fundamental and uncomfortable question: equity for whom? And through what actions? It was a question I had carried with me to Colombia and through every room and discussion at the conference. In 2026, the question we must grapple with is: who counts when we talk about equity, and who are we advocating for?

Throughout the week, I frequently heard the phrases ‘most vulnerable’ and ‘most underserved’ used, sometimes reflexively. They appeared in panels, presentations and side conversations, often spoken with genuine intentions, yet rarely with real precision. If we’re not clear who we are talking about, there is a risk that we design for everyone in theory and reach few in practice. I felt that tension underlying many of the discussions on access, rights and service delivery.

During the conference, both in formal sessions and informal discussions, disability inclusion was acknowledged more than I expected. I met with organisations engaging with disability in different ways, and there was noticeable interest in what truly inclusive sexual and reproductive health programming and policy looks like in practice. Many organisations also openly shared that they were either doing very little on disability inclusion within their SRHR programmes, or that their efforts remained limited. What was striking was not indifference, but a genuine desire to learn how to do better.

Insights from our event at ICFP

Three key insights from the conference that were captured during a Sightsavers-led event, point directly to what needs to happen next to effect change:

• Mindsets must shift at every level: disability cannot be treated as an add-on, it must be central to equity
• Inclusion must be a political priority: without government and donor ownership, inclusion risks remaining a technical aspiration rather than a priority
• Organisations of people with disabilities must lead: inclusion is meaningful only when people with lived experience are driving design, research, and advocacy, not just consulted

How we can embed equity in programmes

These lessons are reinforced by Sightsavers’ new guidance on stigma reduction, which provides practical tools to strengthen inclusive programming and tackle negative attitudes that block access.

The new report ‘This is what disability inclusion looks like’, from Inclusive Futures (a consortium programme led by Sightsavers and the International Disability Alliance over the past eight years), provides practical guidance for organisations looking to embed inclusion in programmes.

Taken together, the conference insights and these resources highlight the test ahead: can the momentum and conversations from Bogotá translate into concrete change in 2026, in budgets, programme design, and service delivery?

Equity cannot remain abstract or aspirational. It must be intentional, specific, actionable, and embedded in every decision that shapes sexual and reproductive health for people with disabilities.

Author

Amalie Quevedo is Sightsavers’ technical advisor for inclusive sexual and reproductive health and rights.