In virtually every community in the world, people with disabilities are among the poorest of the poor; marginalized and powerless at the best of times, they suffer acutely when war or natural disaster strike. Too often humanitarian and development organizations, with a mandate to reach those most in need, exclude disabled people from equal participation in their programs. This book's basic premise is that disabled people themselves know best what their own needs are; that they should be involved in the planning and delivery of relief and development initiatives; and that the most effective support that agencies can offer is to empower them to claim their basic human rights and their civil and legal rights.

The manual is based on the experience of Oxfam staff working with a local disabled people's organization before, during, and after the recent crisis in Kosovo, but the principles that it presents, and the practical training materials that it contains, have a much wider relevance. Case studies from West Africa and South and East Asia show that the values of equality, empowerment, and autonomy promoted by "the Social Model of Disability" can translate to a wide range of political and social contexts.
The manual is designed to be used by two distinct sets of readers:

* Disabled people's organizations, local or national, seeking to raise awareness and put disability equality into action among their membership and in the broader community.
* The humanitarian and development community (from donors to implementers), seeking to promote disability equality, both internally within their own organisations and externally with partners and beneficiaries.

The text is written in clear, simple language, and the practical materials will be particularly useful to trainers working in geographically isolated areas without access to sophisticated equipment. Most of the exercises and activities can be adapted for use in groups of people with a wide range of impairments and educational levels.