Policy and advocacy
Sightsavers influences the development and implementation of health and inclusion policies at local, national and global level.
Our policy and advocacy team works to ensure that people can access the health and education services they are entitled to, and that people with disabilities are not excluded or discriminated against, but empowered to claim their rights.
Policy is critical because it shapes people’s lives: no matter who you are or where you live, your life is shaped by the policy environment around you. Sightsavers works to influence policy in the areas of global health, education and neglected tropical diseases, and social inclusion. Our policy and advocacy work is supported by our research.
We’re exploring how to address the global lack of disability data, helping people with disabilities and older people to conduct and analyse research with their peers, and promoting the financial independence of people with disabilities through innovative economic empowerment projects. We’re also testing how to make more inclusive health projects and promoting accessible political participation.
Our policy campaign for disability rights calls on the international community to make global development inclusive of people with disabilities, and since 2013 it has contributed to an increasing focus on disability-inclusive development both in the UK and around the world.
Sightsavers’ policy and advocacy work aligns with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fully supports their commitment to ‘leave no one behind’ in creating a fairer world.
Our key areas
Health policy and advocacy
We promote inclusive health because we believe that everyone should be able to receive quality, affordable health care.
Read about our health work
Disability rights
Our Equal World disability rights campaign calls on international leaders to make sure global development is inclusive of people with disabilities.
Learn about the campaign
Data disaggregation
Globally, there’s a lack of accurate data on disability, so our Everybody Counts programme is looking at new ways to collect data about the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Read about our data
View the latest data about our global advocacy work
Visit our advocacy databaseResources
Handbooks
Advocacy in programmes handbook
This toolkit outlines an approach to the integration of advocacy plans and strategies in Sightsavers’ country offices. Our advocacy ultimately aims to hold governments to account and influence them to put policies in place that will reach the furthest behind people first.
View Advocacy in programmes handbook [pdf]
Disability Inclusive Scorecard manual
One role of civil society organisations is to amplify the voices of people who are most excluded in society. Our manual addresses this challenge by guiding readers through the process of generating and using a Disability Inclusive Scorecard (DISC), focused on educational provision for learners with disabilities.
View the DISC manual [pdf]
View the DISC learning document [pdf]
View the advocacy brief [pdf]
Our strategy documents
Eye health strategy
Achieving quality eye health services for everyone: Learn about Sightsavers’ plans to expand coverage of essential eye health services to ensure they are sustainable, resilient, accessible and affordable.
Social inclusion strategy
Creating a disability-inclusive world: See how we contribute to the inclusion and empowerment of people with disabilities through our programmatic, research and influencing work.
Inclusive education strategy
Championing every child’s right to education: This document sets out our education goals, objectives, and the system-strengthening approach that will enable us to achieve them.
Read more about Sightsavers’ thematic strategies
Our strategy documentsMore on policy and advocacy
The key to inclusive education is engaging organisations of people with disabilities
Collaborating with organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs) on our inclusive education projects has earned the Sightsavers-led Inclusive Futures consortium a Zero Project Award in 2024.
Six takeaways from the International Conference for Public Health in Africa
Sightsavers’ Hortance Manjo shares insights from the event in Zambia, which highlighted eye health for the first time.
Going beyond health: the role eye care plays in the SDGs
Eye health has an impact on numerous Sustainable Development Goals, and has a ripple effect that improves gender equity, education, economic and health outcomes.
We fight for equality for people with disabilities
Join our campaign