Accessibility, reasonable accommodation, and budgeting for inclusion

Blog | August 29, 2025

Budgeting for inclusion, accessibility, and reasonable accommodation must be intentional—clearly planned, well-explained, and adequately resourced.

This write-up explores specific considerations for budgeting and project implementation, drawing on guidance from the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) General Comment No. 6 on equality and non-discrimination, as well as practical experiences from community-level work.

Example of Providing Reasonable Accommodation

A Municipal -level health clinic in Nepal notices that several older residents with mobility disabilities struggle to attend weekly maternal health meetings because the hall is on the second floor.

What they do: The clinic arranges to hold these meetings on the ground floor of a nearby community center, installs a small ramp, and ensures the chairs have back support.

Impact: Attendance improves, older participants contribute more actively, and community trust in the clinic increases.

Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodation: Understanding the Difference

The two are related but not the same:

Accessibility removes physical, communication, and attitudinal barriers for everyone. Reasonable accommodation provides tailored adjustments or support for an individual’s specific needs.

Accessibility must be built into systems and processes without regard to the need of a particular person with a disability, for example, to have access to a building, a service or a product, on an equal basis with others. Countries must set accessibility standards that are developed and adopted in consultation with organizations of persons with disabilities, consistent with article 4(3) of the Convention

What should our budgets look like in consideration of reasonable accommodation and accessibility measures?

Accessibility is Often a One-Time or Fixed Cost

Plan and allocate the budget for design and setup at the early stages of the project.
Examples include ramps, tactile signage, accessible toilets, and upgrades to digital platforms to support screen readers.
Once implemented, these measures benefit everyone and typically do not require ongoing expenditure.

Reasonable Accommodation is Ongoing and Variable

Needs can arise at different stages of the project and will vary from person to person.
Examples include Braille printing for specific materials, personal interpreters, adapted transport, and flexible scheduling.
Maintain a contingency allocation (e.g., 2–5% of activity costs) to ensure you can respond promptly when individuals requiring such support participate.

Treat Them as Separate Budget Lines

Keep Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodation as distinct budget lines.
This makes it easier to justify, monitor, and report on each area’s spending.
It also prevents funds from being absorbed into general costs before person-specific needs are addressed.

Engage the Target Group in Budget Planning

Involve people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups directly in the budgeting process.
Their lived experience allows them to identify needs and potential barriers that planners may overlook.
This proactive engagement reduces the risk of under-budgeting and ensures hidden barriers are addressed from the outset.

Reasonable accommodation should be discussed directly with the individual who needs it.

Organisations have a responsibility to engage in dialogue with persons with disabilities to identify and agree on the necessary adjustments. This duty applies even if the person has not formally requested accommodation or if the organisation was not initially aware of their disability.

Proposals on budgeting for inclusion at programme level

At the project level, it is essential to allocate and clearly define budgets for both accessibility and reasonable accommodation from the outset. These budget lines should be accompanied by clear explanations, practical examples, and guidance so that project teams fully understand their purpose and scope.

This clarity ensures that implementers can plan appropriately, make informed decisions during implementation, and respond quickly when needs arise. It also helps prevent these allocations from being overlooked, misused, or absorbed into unrelated costs — safeguarding the resources needed to remove barriers and ensure full participation for all.

Too often, underrepresented groups cannot participate meaningfully because reasonable accommodation is overlooked—even though it goes beyond general accessibility measures.

Key elements that guide the implementation of the duty to provide reasonable accommodation (CRPD Gen Comment 6)

It’s a legal duty – Organisations, employers, and service providers must provide reasonable accommodation when needed.
Case by case – Determined by the individual’s specific situation and barriers.
Dialogue is essential – The person with a disability must be consulted to agree on what works best.
Timely action – Accommodations must be provided without undue delay.
Proportional and effective – They should remove barriers without imposing unreasonable burden.
No request needed – The duty applies if the need is known or should reasonably have been known.

Providing reasonable accommodation requires a case-by-case approach, carried out through direct consultations between the body responsible for implementing accommodations and the individual concerned, ensuring that the support provided is tailored to their specific need.

Documenting and linking budget decisions to results strengthens both accountability and impact. By clearly explaining the legal and programmatic reasons for funding accessibility and reasonable accommodation—and showing tangible improvements in participation, representation, and overall inclusion—you ensure that resources directly contribute to meaningful change in people’s lives and build a strong case for continued investment in inclusive practices.

Inclusion is not only about opening the door—it is about ensuring everyone can get through it and thrive once inside.

Back to News