People with disabilities and older people are among those most impacted by disasters yet are more likely to be excluded from disaster preparedness, response, and related decision-making processes, especially at the local level. As a result, many disaster responses are not adjusted to the needs of people with disability and older people. Even if adjustments are made, they are only done during the process and not from the beginning. The PIONEER (Partners for Inclusion: Localising Inclusive Humanitarian Response) model is an innovative approach that aims to rectify this problem by facilitating the involvement of people with disabilities and older people throughout the local humanitarian response process, starting from the planning stage. It creates spaces for local organisations for people with disabilities (OPDs), older people’s associations (OPAs), and humanitarian organisations to co-design, deliver, monitor, and evaluate disaster response jointly as local actors. This study aims to draw lessons learned from the PIONEER model being implemented in Magelang and Sigi District, Indonesia, particularly how it enhances the planning stage to deliver more inclusive disaster responses. The data was obtained through secondary and primary surveys, including reviewing relevant literature, virtual Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with representatives from the OPDs, OPAs, and local humanitarian organisations, in-depth interviews with government representatives, and questionnaires. A combined qualitative approach is used to assess the extent of involvement of OPDs and OPAs in disaster response based on four indicators of meaningful participation (Representativeness, Capacity, Partnership, and Accessibility) before and after the implementation of the PIONEER model. The results indicate that using the PIONEER model in the disaster response programme makes significant changes, especially in the planning stage. Representatives from OPDs and OPAs actively give input in planning meetings for designing disaster response activities, and there is a capacity improvement in preparing proposals for humanitarian response. The partnerships and coordination with local humanitarian organisations are improved, and the OPDs and OPAs also stated that local humanitarian organisations had met their accessibility needs during the planning stage. This reflects that the PIONEER model is an effective method for a more inclusive disaster response because it can increase the role and participation of OPDs and OPAs right from the start.