After ANDE’s 2024 DEI Learning Series, our Asia chapters launched the Access & Opportunity Learning Lab to deepen inclusion work. A needs assessment surfaced practical barriers—and clear priorities—for 2025.
Local entrepreneurship is increasingly seen as a path to job creation, poverty reduction, and sustainable development. But a basic question often goes unanswered: how inclusive are the spaces where entrepreneurs learn, build, and grow?
That question prompted the ANDE Asia chapters to launch the Access & Opportunity Learning Lab in 2025. In this first post, we share what led to the Lab and what our needs assessment revealed. Part 2 will explore how the cohort evolved over the year—and what we learned along the way.
Building on the 2024 DEI Learning Series
The Learning Lab builds on the ANDE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Learning Series we ran in 2024. The series began when an ANDE member—Mekong Inclusive Ventures—proposed a set of sessions in collaboration with the ANDE Asia chapters.
In the first session, Ian Jones, founder of Mekong Inclusive Ventures, introduced different models of disability, common barriers to inclusion, disability etiquette, and the concept of reasonable accommodations. In the second, he shared practical guidance on improving physical and digital accessibility. The third and final session was facilitated by Ian alongside Max Simpson (Steps) and Niran Pravithana (Vulcan Coalition).
For ANDE, the series was deeply practical. Ian modeled accessible communications by paying close attention to contrast ratio, font size, and legibility—choices that matter for participants with visual impairments. Niran demonstrated how technology can expand livelihood opportunities for people with disabilities. And Max challenged a common misconception: many reasonable accommodations are affordable.
As reported in Hidden talent: How leading companies hire, retain, and benefit from people with disabilities, 71% of accommodations cost $500 or less, and 20% cost nothing.
The series also changed our internal practices. We began collecting information—during registration—about accommodations participants might need, and then building those needs into event design. For example, we now proactively flag Zoom’s live captions for participants who may have difficulty understanding accents or audio quality. We also share slide decks ahead of sessions so participants using screen readers or other assistive tools can review materials beforehand. Finally, participant feedback highlighted the value of sending a detailed agenda in advance so attendees understand the level of interaction expected.
We also heard a consistent request: organizations wanted more support to make both internal practices and external programming more inclusive. In light of that feedback, we continued the work in 2025 in a more structured format: a year-long Learning Lab.
Access & Opportunity Learning Lab
We designed the Learning Lab as a cohort model to support sustained engagement and peer learning. Following the ANDE Learning Lab approach, we invited leading practitioners to serve as co-chairs, supported by a core group. We aimed for representation across South Asia and East and Southeast Asia, including people with disabilities and individuals from gender and sexual minorities.
The cohort included nine participants from South Asia, nine from East and Southeast Asia, and two from Europe. Registration included a needs assessment to understand sector priorities. In addition to cohort members, several ANDE colleagues and partners participated, including members of the core group and co-chairs, as well as the chapter heads for ANDE East and Southeast Asia and ANDE South Asia—to support internal reflection alongside external learning.
What we learned from the needs assessment
Participant profile (needs assessment): Organizations represented included social enterprises (11), nonprofits (5), ESOs (3), universities/university-based ESOs (1), research/advisory organizations (2), networks/field builders (2), and several single-representation categories (investment fund, asset manager, incubator/venture capital, advisory firm).
The assessment included a higher number of small and growing businesses (SGBs) than is typical for ANDE Learning Labs—based on co-chair input and two considerations:
- Operational experience: SGBs often implement inclusion measures directly, generating practical insights for ESOs.
- Concrete use cases: Their scale can produce real-time examples that strengthen peer learning across the cohort.
The needs assessment asked about both internal organizational practices and external programming. Key themes are summarized below.
Internal challenges
- Budget constraints
- Limited accessible infrastructure and tools (including digital)
- Lack of know-how and staff capacity
- Limited data on barriers and relevant innovations
- Challenges sustaining timely delivery and online engagement when collaborating with staff with disabilities
External challenges
- Social stigma and limited awareness
- Limited funding and ecosystem support
- Accessibility gaps in digital and physical infrastructure
Disability inclusion in research (cross-cutting)
- Lack of standardized disability-inclusive research frameworks
- Affordability, accessibility, limited awareness, and adoption barriers for assistive technologies
- Regulatory and certification barriers in assistive tech development
- Funding and investment gaps for large-scale production and distribution
Internal challenges
- Cultural sensitivity and legal constraints when working with LGBTQIA+ communities
- Tensions between equal leadership and societal expectations for women
- Need for additional resources to enable flexible work arrangements
- Persistent biases and non-inclusive structures
External challenges
- Gender norms that limit women’s participation
- Adapting programs across cultural contexts
- Limited organizational capacity to engage LGBTQIA+ communities
- Ecosystem barriers, including constrained access to finance for women and queer entrepreneurs and discrimination by policymakers
Through the needs assessment, we also asked what participants expected from the Lab.
- Inclusive program design
- Policy frameworks for inclusion
- Best practices in hiring and training
- Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) approaches for disability inclusion
- Co-creation of programs with lab members and people with disabilities
- Guidance on engaging funders with a disability focus
- Partnerships to accelerate assistive-technology innovation
- Inclusive program design
- Best practices for internal policies and programs
- A stronger understanding of intersectionality
- Advocacy to move more funders toward gender inclusion
- A community of practice to share what works in implementation
- Co-creating solutions with lab members and affected communities
Based on the assessment—and in consultation with co-chairs and the core group—we designed a four-session program across the year:
- Exploring intersectionality and designing inclusive programs (virtual)
- Inclusive programming with tangible examples (virtual)
- In-person session at the ANDE Annual Conference in Mexico (to reach decision-makers and a global audience)
- Policy frameworks to foster inclusion (virtual)
In Part 2, we will share how the Lab responded to evolving participant needs—and the practical lessons that emerged.