Additional Context: This information comes from a report produced by Inclusive Development Partners, or IDP, a research and technical assistance organization. Using a mixed-methods design under IRB approval from the University of Massachusetts Boston, the study triangulated a global survey of staff from 82 projects across 80 implementing organizations with key informant interviews and focus group discussions across eight countries where IDP had existing programs: Bangladesh, El Salvador, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Data collection took place between January and March 2026.

According to IDP, children with complex disabilities, particularly those who are deaf, have autism, or have an intellectual disability, were reported to have faced the most significant challenges. The specialized, inclusive support they depended on is the least likely to be replicated by other government services or international aid support, and parents of these children expressed the highest rates of anxiety about the future

Source: Inclusive Development Partners