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, families in rural areas have faced the greatest losses, with fewer alternative services available and longer distances to whatever fragmented support remains. A father of a child with a disability in Nepal, for example, said, “We do not have therapy services in our area, and we cannot afford to get services in the cities. He has multiple disabilities.”

Source: Inclusive Development Partners