Historically, women have and continue to be marginalized with fewer rights, less income, lower education and health status, and less access to resources and decision-making than men. This is particularly true of women and girls living with disabilities.  ICACBR programs prioritize the understanding and knowledge of gender issues and the interaction between gender and disability and its impact on health. The Centre uses a gender lens to promote and understand disability issues confronting men and women. ICACBR uses mechanisms available to practitioners, individuals, family members, organizations, community workers and other stakeholders to improve gender equality and build capacity through gender specific tools in designing, implementing and evaluating programs. ICACBR is considered a leader in the promotion of gender equality internationally.

Gender equality is a priority in all ICACBR programs and the Centre plays an important role in advocating for and implementing equal status for women and men, girls and boys. Gender equality is a crosscutting theme integrated within all ICACBR initiatives through directive and responsive programming by:

• Reducing inequalities between women and men and promoting women’s empowerment
• Increasing capacity within communities by addressing the unique needs of women and girls
• Addressing social and institutional underlying conditions that create gender disparities
• Increasing representation of women and women’s organizations in policy and decision making
• Strengthening capacity of women and men to address gender equality
•  Utilizing gender equality tools in everyday work
• Raising awareness about shared responsibility for parenthood
• Reducing gender based violence
• Supporting and promoting  women and girls to fully exercise their rights
• Protecting women and girls within legal frameworks
• Increasing understanding of the relevance of gender equality
• Increasing knowledge and recognition of gender equality of decision makers
• Improving services and mechanisms to respond to gender specific constraints on rights
• Reducing the gap between women’s and men’s access to and control over resources
• Supporting gender equality policy  that respond to the priorities of women and girls