The year 1995 was the beginning of a new era of disability movement in Bangladesh striving for equal rights and to ensure social justice. This year, Action on Disability and Development (ADD), a UK-based organization started to work to form a national-level federation of grassroots-level and district-level OPDs, where persons with disabilities come together to raise their voices frothier rights and inclusion in society.

NGDO was formed as national apex body of grassroots OPDs in July 2004 as a culmination of 10years of ADD’s effort. ADD started its activities in Bangladesh in 1995 by working in a union(comprising 14 villages) under Mirpur thana of Kushtia district. At the initial stage, ADD encouraged the grassroots persons with disabilities to form and join groups as a process of inclusion by removing attitudinal, environmental, and institutional discrimination from the society.

The ADD facilitated the grassroots OPDs to expand gradually its movement from Union to District and finally at the national level through the formation of the NGDO. From its inception, NGDO has been coordinating and implementing its activities from the national level to the local level in collaboration with its member organizations.