Action Planning Tools

Three Kenyan and one US professional look at paperwork together at a table. One person uses crutches and one person appears to have albinism.

As people with disabilities and disability rights advocates, many of us have goals and dreams about the changes that need to occur in the world before accessibility and true equality can be achieved for people with disabilities. At a more basic level, we may recognize a particular problem or barrier that stands in the way of such equality. An action plan is a method for systematically identifying a single goal we want to achieve, and breaking down that larger goal into concrete steps that can be completed over time.

Action Plan Template

The action plan template that is included here is lengthy because it meant to remind you of many different aspects of planning that include:

  1. Establishing the issue you want to address
  2. Identifying target audiences and messages for those audiences
  3. Evaluating available resources
  4. Reaching out to potential allies
  5. Collecting data
  6. Thinking about how to evaluate success

The action plan template is meant to guide you toward breaking down your goal into Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely (“SMART”) objectives. It does not need to be filled out slavishly. Rather, moving through the template will remind you of key things to consider as you plan. Action Plan Step #8 provides the user with a handy summary of activities that an individual or collaborative group can use as they work on their action plan over a period of weeks or months.

Action Plan Handbook

The action plan handbook defines terms and concepts from the template, and provides helpful examples on the level of specificity that should be addressed at each step of the template.

The tools are available below in Armenian, English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.