Innovative modalities and ways of working

Stories | May 11, 2026

CBM’s Inclusion Advisory Group (CBM IAG) works with a diverse range of partners to advance disability inclusion, equity, and rights, strengthening policy and practice across the sector. To deliver this support effectively, we use a model that brings together global expertise, local knowledge, and the lived experience of people with disabilities. In practice, this means using a mix of approaches – from blended teams that connect expertise from around the world, to embedded advisors working within partner organisations, to a responsive helpdesk offering on-demand advice. 

These modalities enable us to best support our partners and drive meaningful change across disability-inclusive research, social protection, humanitarian, and many other sectors. Here we highlight a selection of work delivered last year, illustrating how our approach to delivery enabled CBM IAG to make a tangible difference for people with disabilities. 

Blended Working Arrangement / Hybrid Delivery 

CBM IAG often takes a blended team approach, bringing together advisors from Australia, other countries, and local contexts, alongside Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs). This model ensures that technical expertise is complemented by local perspectives and the voices of people with lived experience. Here are a few ways we’ve put this approach into action.

KONEKSI: Strengthening Inclusive Research in Indonesia 

In partnership with KONEKSI, the Australian Government’s flagship knowledge and innovation program in Indonesia, CBM IAG is strengthening disability‑inclusive research systems and supporting connections with Australian disability and research networks. We have supported KONEKSI by conducting a rapid analysis of the disability‑inclusive research landscape in Indonesia and Australia. This work maps key networks, programs, stakeholders and opportunities at the intersection of disability inclusion and research, and will provide recommendations on pathways to strengthen disability‑inclusive research in Indonesia and through international collaboration. We are also working with KONEKSI and SAPDA, an OPD promoting the rights of people with disabilities, to develop practical guidelines and a training package for disability‑inclusive research that can be used by Indonesian research institutions. 
Our blended team, led by advisors from Indonesia and Australia – including advisors with lived experience of disability – co‑design and co‑deliver IAG’s analysis, advice and capability‑building support for KONEKSI. This approach ensures our work draws on both international and local expertise, deep contextual understanding of Indonesia and Australia, and longstanding networks within the Indonesian disability movement. 

PROAKTIF: Inclusive Social Protection Systems 

CBM IAG partnered with PROAKTIF – the Australia–Indonesia Partnership for Poverty Alleviation and Inclusive, Adaptive Social Protection – to strengthen social protection for people with disabilities in Indonesia. We conducted a rapid evidence review, which included a desk review of Indonesian data and research and consultations with OPDs, and analysed this against global frameworks and international case studies. The review identified key gaps in social protection coverage and access for people with disabilities, and recommended actions to address remaining evidence gaps needed to inform inclusive system reforms. 
This work was delivered in collaboration with the Centre for Inclusive Policy (CIP). Our research team included IAG advisors from Indonesia and Australia, an Indonesian OPD leader, a CIP global specialist, and a CIP research fellow from Indonesia (also an OPD member). Responsibilities were shared across the team:  IAG’s Indonesian advisor and OPD partner led focus group discussions with OPDs; CIP’s research fellow conducted a review of Indonesian data and evidence; CIP’s global specialist developed the global framing, recommendations and case studies; and IAG’s Australian advisor compiled and edited the research report. All team members contributed to peer review, data analysis, conclusions and stakeholder presentations. Our blended team approach enabled the research to integrate lived experience, deep contextual knowledge of Indonesian systems, strong OPD networks and global specialist expertise. This allowed us to synthesise diverse perspectives into a high‑quality report that provided government partners with practical recommendations to guide the next steps in inclusive system reform. 

AHP Bangladesh Phase IV: Humanitarian Response

In Cox’s Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh, we supported Care International, Plan International, Oxfam and their local partners in the Rohingya refugee response. Our country-based advisor in Bangladesh leveraged local expertise to build the capacity of Disability Inclusion Focal Points within Care and its partners. Additionally, CBM’s Disability Rights Advocate (a person with a disability himself), established self-help groups in the camps and host communities and worked to connect them to the broader disability movement in Bangladesh as well as the Government so they could access government services.  Through this hybrid, light-touch working model, the team has delivered tailored, context-specific support in a complex humanitarian environment, providing a service which has been targeted, practical, and cost-effective. 

Embedded Advisory Support 

CBM has provided disability inclusion advisors to work with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), to help integrate disability equity and rights into policy dialogue, program design, implementation, and learning. Working alongside DFAT staff has enabled day‑to‑day, real‑time support, strengthened internal capability, and contributed to strengthening disability inclusion practice across DFAT’s divisions and portfolios. As DFAT has responded to shifting development and geopolitical contexts, these embedded advisory roles have provided a practical way to build capability, enhance coherence, and increase confidence in delivering inclusive outcomes. 

IAG’s DFAT Secondees in Australia 

Since 2019, CBM IAG secondees have worked with DFAT to provide embedded, on‑demand advice across the department’s development program and broader portfolio. This support has helped integrate disability equity and rights into DFAT‑funded programs, policies, processes, and guidance materials. Because secondees are embedded in DFAT, they are able to offer advice that is timely, practical, and aligned with internal priorities and ways of working at DFAT. 
Secondees have played an ongoing role in strengthening capability, drawing on the broader CBM IAG team and tailoring their support to DFAT’s operating context. In 2025, a dedicated secondment to the Office of the Pacific offered focused support to Pacific programs and DFAT posts, while the longstanding secondee to DFAT’s Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Strategy Performance and Effectiveness Section contributed to program design and monitoring, guidance materials, and learning across DFAT. 

IAG’s Advisors to support DFAT Hanoi and Dili Posts 

Our embedded advisors, based with DFAT’s Hanoi Post since 2023 and Dili Post since 2024, have supported across both countries to strengthen the integration of disability equity and rights across their operations and investments. 
This approach is helping DFAT posts to translate strategy into practice, build internal capability, and position disability inclusion as a core consideration across its portfolio. By working closely with staff and partners in both countries, embedded advisors promote reflection and continuous improvement, helping teams navigate operational complexity while staying grounded in rights‑based principles. 
Over the past year, this has included applying the preconditions for inclusion to identify opportunities for strategic impact, engaging local OPDs in context‑appropriate ways, providing timely advice for program design and implementation, and fostering shared understanding of how inclusion improves effectiveness and impact in Timor Leste and Vietnam. 

Disability Inclusive Helpdesk Support: Providing Timely Technical Advice to DFAT and WFP 

CBM IAG’s helpdesk services have provided on-demand technical advice, tools, and guidance to partners seeking to make their operations and programs disability inclusive. 

DID4All Helpdesk: Supporting DFAT Investments and Driving Global Leadership 

Since 2014, through the DFAT-CBM IAG Technical Partnership, CBM IAG has operated the DID4All Helpdesk as a responsive and widely used technical assistance service for DFAT staff, supporting everything from regional planning inputs to in-depth program advice. During this time CBM IAG has completed 835 tasks, many of which have been comprehensive. By providing tailored guidance at key stages of the program cycle, the Helpdesk has helped embed inclusive approaches across DFAT-funded initiatives and contributed to systematic improvements in disability equity practice.  
In addition, ongoing collaboration and support through the Helpdesk has driven shifts in internal policies, processes, and culture, strengthening DFAT and its partners’ approach to disability inclusion, equity, and rights. The impact of this initiative has been transformative: as DFAT’s primary technical partner on disability inclusion, through the Helpdesk, CBM IAG has worked alongside DFAT to embed inclusive principles across its portfolio and contribute to the positioning Australia as a global leader in disability inclusion. 

World Food Programme (WFP) Disability Inclusion Helpdesk 

Since 2021, our helpdesk for WFP has addressed over 130 requests from programme teams worldwide. We’ve delivered bespoke guidance notes, tools, and training materials, helping WFP implement the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy. This service has increased awareness, improved partnerships with OPDs, and built capacity across WFP’s global operations. 

Why These Approaches Matter 

Experience has shown that innovating in how we work makes us more adaptive, agile, and better able to deliver strong results. Blended teams ensure our advice is grounded in a diverse set of expertise and local realities. Embedded advisors strengthen systems from within. Helpdesks provide flexible, responsive support. Together, these approaches enable CBM IAG to offer well‑rounded perspectives backed by global evidence and local experience. 

For a fuller picture of our work and partnerships, visit our website.