Persons with disabilities comprise 15% of the world’s population, and are more likely to be poor, to have lower economic participation, health and education outcomes than persons without disabilities. The multiple barriers and lack of support that they face generate significant disability related costs which undermine their resilience and sustainable escape from poverty. While international frameworks have recently promoted the critical role of social protection for their inclusion, less than 1 in 5 persons with significant disabilities has access to disability benefits in Low- and Middle-income countries. Moreover, existing systems are often framed by approaches focused on minimal compensation of incapacity to work rather than support for participation and empowerment. The paper provides a brief overview of this status quo, highlight the importance of addressing disability related costs and present critical elements to consider in building social protection systems that effectively support inclusion persons with disabilities across the life cycle
