About Us

Why the Disability Portal?

To improve the lives of people with disabilities there needs to be inclusive policies, targeted services and effective programs of support. To support the development of these government, civil society, media and researchers need access to good quality, timely, disaggregated and comprehensive data on disability. Unfortunately, in Nepal data on disability is scarce. The disability data that is available is scattered and difficult to find, and it is rarely shared as “open data” – i.e. in formats and with terms that allow people to easily use, analyse and re-purpose the data. Scarcity and inaccessibility of data related to disability has long hampered the progress of efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Unless this issue is addressed, the estimated 550,000 (Nepal Census 2011) people in Nepal living with disabilities will continue to be excluded. The Disability Portal has been set up to address this challenge. It is also hoped that the Portal will inspire further disability research to address the data gaps and, by demonstrating the practicalities and value of open data, encourage further data sharing in other sectors.

What is the Disability Portal?

The Disability Portal is a centralised repository of data and information about disability in Nepal. It brings together data, studies and other resources on disability in Nepal and makes them openly available to all. The repository contains data and information from government, academic and civil society. The Portal is open for anybody to publish valid datasets and publications related to disability. Over time, the portal will expand with new resources on disability that minimize the data gaps and encourage evidence-based approaches to disability inclusion.

Who is the Disability Portal for?

The Portal provides a shared evidence base that intends to support: • Civil society to design and monitor disability-related programs, advocacy and outreach • Government to develop disability inclusive policies and services • Researchers to build on past studies, monitor progress and target their disability research towards gaps and needs The Portal has been designed to be user-friendly for people with disabilities. Data, publications and other resources can be supplied to the portal by any party via the Portal administrator. If you have data or information to share please contact contribute to the portal.

How did the Disability Portal come about?

The portal has been developed by the National Federation of the Disabled Nepal with feedback from a committee of civil society organizations, university, government agencies, and researchers (this includes the Nepal Health Research Council, Disability Research Center, Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Asia Foundation and Development Initiatives among others). The Portal was funded by the Data for Development in Nepal Program implemented by The Asia Foundation in partnership with Development Initiatives with support from UK Aid in 2015. In 2022, the portal was revised with support from Handicap Internation, Reading 4 all program.