Including People with Disabilities in Emergency Relief Efforts
More must be done to ensure the needs and rights of people with disabilities are fully recognised in disaster risk reduction and emergency responses. Accelerating progress will require inclusive humanitarian programming and the use of technological solutions to be effectively promoted and incentivised, and people with disabilities and their organisations to be involved from the outset in the design and implementation of policies and programmes.
This Rapid Response briefing argues that It is important to follow a twin-track approach, having both accessible mainstream responses as well as dedicated responses for specific needs. Donors could also make the inclusion of people with disabilities a mandatory component of response funding or earmark funding for disability. More work is also required to make field staff in humanitarian responses aware of disabled people’s needs and of the resources available for them. As crises have demonstrated,