Persons with Disabilities can meaningfully participate in various spheres of life. However, their enjoyment of rights and access to services, as well as productive assets, is often limited, hindering their participation in national development. The barriers faced by Persons with Disabilities affect their lives and well-being. The Government of the Republic of Zambia recognizes that addressing the needs of Persons with Disabilities is both a human rights and developmental issue. In 2010, Zambia ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) as a commitment to improving the well-being of Persons with Disabilities. 

Additionally, the country has enacted several laws and policies related to Persons with Disabilities, including the Persons with Disabilities Act No. 6 of 2012, the 2015 National Policy on Disability, and the Mental Health Act No. 6 of 2019. During the implementation of the 2015 National Policy on Disability, several achievements were recorded, including but not limited to: the development of the Disability Management Information System; the hosting of a Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) conference; an increase in social protection interventions for Persons with Disabilities; the development of Employment Coordination Mechanisms for Persons with Disabilities; and the establishment of a twin-track approach using methods such as Community-Based Inclusive Development (CBID) and the Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA).

 The 2025 National Policy on Persons with Disabilities identifies gaps that were not addressed by the 2015 Policy, include inadequate coordination of disability-related matters among institutions; ongoing inclusion challenges leading to limited access to quality education, health, and employment; communication barriers; stigma resulting in low integration of Persons with Disabilities in community development and national governance; insufficient budgetary support; and uncoordinated data gathering, as well as weak linkages among service providers. Further, the 2015 policy did not recognize disability as an evolving concept, resulting from the interaction between persons with impairments and the attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others