WORLD INSTITUTE ON DISABILITY
Dedicated to designing, building, and supporting community solutions by removing barriers to include people with disabilities.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Advancing promising disability inclusion policy and practices globally
The World Institute on Disability (WID) was established in 1983 as one of the first global disability rights organizations founded and continually led by people with disabilities. WID's mission on a global scale, is to continually advance the rights and opportunities of over one billion people with disabilities.
Our work centers around three strategic areas of focus:
Accessibility and Universal Design Solutions;
Disaster Risk Reduction, Humanitarian Action and Climate Justice for Resilience and Sustainability; and
Policies, Systems and Tools for Global Community Inclusion
WID is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of countries participated in global outreach methods
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of countries participated in global outreach methods
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The World Institute on Disability (WID) is dedicated to designing, building, and supporting community solutions by removing barriers to include people with disabilities.
We accomplish our mission by:
-Helping to assure that products, services, and environments are more accessible
-Promoting and advocating for equitable policies to impact meaningful change
-Providing consulting services to partners, organizations, and corporations aiming to improve their disability inclusion practices
-Offering training and tools to better serve individuals and groups with disabilities
-Supporting emergency, disaster, and climate efforts to intervene with systemic exclusion, by inviting DLO support
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Strategic, operational, and employee measures are aligned with the mission and goals outlined in WID’s Strategic Plan, and in accordance with general objectives. Our core work is aligned within three strategic areas of focus:
Accessibility Solutions and Universal Design:
WID values the lived experiences of people with disabilities as part of our global mission to prioritize making products, services, and environments accessible. Our strategies for strengthening universal accessibility are rooted in policy, guidelines, and ethical decision making which aim to improve inclusion by studying user-testing experiences, leading targeted focus groups, conducting and reporting on valuable assessments and surveys, providing training and advisory consultations, and other services which center on the disability perspective. Led by SME Kat Zigmont, WID’s work within this focus area has resulted in refined organizational systems, built environments, policies, products, and services to better serve people with disabilities by creating more accessible and inclusive experiences.
Community Inclusion:
WID works to eliminate barriers to achieving full inclusion of people with disabilities by influencing systems, policies, and tools that aim for whole community participation. Our focus on country, state, and local systems include operationalizing employment tools and resources, promoting financial wellness and peer advocacy goals, and delivering technical assistance and policy consultation. Led by SME Nicholas Love, WID’s work within this focus area is committed to achieving whole community living solutions. WID does this by ensuring that evolving policies are aligned and adopted to enable optimal delivery of framework, curriculum, and consulting services that will meet competitive, integrated employment and transitional work requirements.
Emergencies, Disasters, and Climate Resilience:
WID is a leader in disaster health equity, universal inclusion, and disaster justice for people with disabilities. With expertise in disability related disaster research, systems, inclusive policy and practice, and boots-on-the-ground experience in multiple national and international emergency responses, the WID disaster domain team is a robust global agent of change in systemic disability exclusion that has historically defined humanitarian aid. Led by SME Dawn Skaggs, WID’s work within this focus area is dedicated to providing inclusive disaster preparedness and resilience planning, training, consulting, and response acceleration to save lives and minimize the negative impact for people with disabilities and communities during times of emergency.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
WORLD INSTITUTE ON DISABILITY
Board of directorsas of 02/13/2023
Susan Mazrui
AT&T
Term: 2024 - 2022
Tali Bray
Wells Fargo
Sheridan Gates
Executive Coach
Malcom Glenn
Uber
Darlene Hermerka
Equal Justice Fellow
Julie McCarthy
Human Resources
Neil Milliken
ATOS
Michael Palmer
TMobile
Debra Ruh
Ruh Global Communications
Brian Scarpelli
ACT
Frances West
Frances West Company
Rachel Wolkowitz
Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP
Zachary Bastian
Verizon
Kamilah Marin-Proctor
DC Commission on Persons With Disabilities Chair
Susan Mazrui
AT&T
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.