Since the 1960’s, the WCC has championed the ecumenical response to disability among its member churches when it first explored the need for a Church to be a more inclusive society. This work gained momentum in the following years leading to the establishment of Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network (EDAN) during the WCC 8th assembly in Harare, 1998. After its establishment EDAN has sought to pursue the place of persons with disabilities in a just society.

The network is managed as a decentralised operation with a governance board and a secretariat hosted by the All Africa Conference of Churches in Nairobi, Kenya. It is led by a programme coordinator, who is assisted by an international reference group which helps to envision and continuously evaluate the work. The work is backed by eight volunteer regional representatives drawn from each of the eight WCC regions.