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The numbers don’t lie. Out of every £100 in development aid, just 40 pence goes toward supporting people with disabilities. For refugees with disabilities fleeing conflict and crisis, this funding gap means the difference between connection and isolation.
The Communication Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight
When development budgets ignore disability inclusion, the first casualty is communication. Refugees with disabilities need mobile phone access more than most – it’s how they coordinate care, access interpreters, and stay connected to family scattered across continents. Yet funding for mobile credit programmes remains virtually non-existent in mainstream humanitarian budgets. The 2025 Global Disability Inclusion Report confirms what frontline organisations already know: less than 0.4% of development aid specifically targets disability inclusion, leaving millions without basic communication tools.
What 99.6% of Aid Misses
This isn’t just about phones. It’s about power. When refugees with disabilities can’t afford mobile credit, they can’t register for services, can’t report abuse, can’t find accessible housing. The vast majority of development programmes treat disability inclusion as an afterthought, if they consider it at all. Meanwhile, refugees with disabilities burn through precious mobile credit navigating bureaucratic phone systems designed without them in mind. Every pound not allocated to disability-specific support is a pound that reinforces barriers instead of breaking them down.
Breaking the 40 Pence Ceiling
The solution isn’t complex – it’s about recognition and resource allocation. Development funders must stop treating disability inclusion as optional. When they do invest, programmes like mobile credit support prove their worth immediately. Small interventions create outsized impact because they address the fundamental barrier: connection itself. Refugees with disabilities who can stay connected can advocate for themselves, coordinate care, and maintain dignity in impossible circumstances.