The Equity Gap in Climate Change Preparedness for People with Disabilities

Author: Yazmín Franco

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 27% of the U.S. population lives with a disability[1]. Because people with disabilities (PWD) are up to two to four times more likely to die or sustain an injury during climate disasters[2], this means 61 million U.S. adults[3] are at risk of injury or death during any given climate emergency. One of the biggest threats to PWD is the lack of disaster preparedness and logistical planning to accommodate them during a climate disaster. This is especially problematic for PWD who rely on electrically powered assistive technology. As of 2021, over 1 billion people require at least one assistive device to carry out daily activities, a number expected to double by 2030[4].

In 2021, Gershon et al found that although 63% of local Offices of Emergency Management (OEM) had disaster preparedness plans (plans) which accounted for PWD, merely 41% had plans with comprehensive operational protocols catering to PWD[5]. Gershon et al also found that generally, staff did not receive training pertaining to the inclusivity requirements of the American with Disabilities Act and that only 23% of OEM staff reported having the personnel and resources necessary to provide adequate disaster relief to PWD[6]. Furthermore, in an article for the Harvard Environmental Review, Perls (2020) outlines a recent Government Accountability Office report which highlights FEMA’s failure to establish objectives and metrics for success prior to adopting strategies geared toward PWD[7].

These findings are especially alarming given that in 2018, the United Nations’ Flagship Report on Disability and Development revealed that among the broader community of PWD, it is often individuals who already suffer from increased marginalization, who are likely to experience increased suffering during a climate disaster [8]. Specifically, the report found that women, children, refugees, and those with limited income are those who struggle the most to meet their disability-related needs and usually depend on charitable contributions to access disability-related assistance and supplies[9]. The lack of consultation and inclusion of PWD in disaster planning has even greater distributional effects for the 53% of PWD who rely on electricity powered assistive technology[10]. As witnessed during the California wildfires of the last few years, power outages caused or exacerbated by climate disasters renders a substantial number of PWD especially vulnerable and susceptible to injury or death[11].

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Disability impacts all of us. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html

[2] Harvard University Center for the Environment. (2023). Disability in a time of climate disaster. https://environment.harvard.edu/news/disability-time-climate-disaster

[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Disability impacts all of us. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html

[4] Goyal, R. (2021). How can energy access programmes address the needs of people with disabilities? Efficiency for Access. Retrieved 28 February 2022 from https://storage.googleapis.com/e4a-website-assets/How-can-energy-access-programmes-address-the-needs-of-people-with-disabilities.pdf

[5] Gershon, R. R., Muska, M. A., Zhi, Q., & Kraus, L. E. (2021). Are local offices of emergency management prepared for people with disabilities? Results from the FEMA Region 9 Survey. Journal of Emergency Management, 19(1), 7-20.

[6] Ibid

[7] Perls, H. (2020). U.s. disaster displacement in the era of climate change: discrimination & consultation under the stafford act. Harvard Environmental Law Review, 44(2), 511-552.

[8] Cheung, K. (2022). Disability-Centered Emergency Preparedness: Environmental Justice Lessons From California Wildfires. Intersect: The Stanford Journal of Science, Technology, and Society, 15(2).

[9] Goyal, R. (2021). How can energy access programmes address the needs of people with disabilities? Efficiency for Access. Retrieved 28 February 2022 from https://storage.googleapis.com/e4a-website-assets/How-can-energy-access-programmes-address-the-needs-of-people-with-disabilities.pdf

[10] Cheung, K. (2022). Disability-Centered Emergency Preparedness: Environmental Justice Lessons From California Wildfires. Intersect: The Stanford Journal of Science, Technology, and Society, 15(2).

[11] Ibid

Policy Recommendations

I. The Need for Data:

The most equitable pathway forward requires governments and private actors fueling research studies on climate impacts for PWD to fill the large data gaps in the environmental justice literature. Gathering sufficient disaggregated data on PWD can help governments better understand how to properly assist PWD during climate disasters in a way which respects their full human rights. Findings can also inform ways that systematic, societal, and economic hurdles for PWD are exacerbated by the intersectionality of multiple marginalized identities. Collecting and analyzing this data can help establish more accessible and inclusive disaster planning and policymaking strategies that extend beyond climate disaster preparedness, training, and response. For comprehensive data collection, countries can opt to employ the meticulously designed questionnaires on disability created by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics. These questionnaires are structured to streamline intra-governmental research on PWD and to ensure seamless post-research distribution of information . Governments and private actors can also conduct focus groups with PWD and caregivers. This discussion extends beyond the confines of the United States, holding significant relevance for governments in developing countries who are home to 80% of the global PWD population .

2. Policies for PWD Should be Driven by PWD:

To create meaningful changes to benefit PWD, policymakers must hold spaces for PWD, disability advocates, and disability specialists to share their experiences. Because PWD are rarely consulted, even well-intentioned disaster planning can pose challenges for PWD once implemented. People with disabilities should be directly involved in climate disaster planning, environmental justice discussions, renewable energy transition strategies, and financially accessible assistive technology development in off-grid or weak-grid areas. Once governments, alongside PWD, have devised effective disaster preparedness and response methodologies, emergency personnel and agencies must demonstrate credible efforts to recruit, hire, and retain equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) professionals to oversee efforts, and define and assess objectives and success.

Conclusion

Climate change is set to continue fueling environmental disasters. The longer we take to acknowledge political oversight of the disability community in climate disaster preparedness and response, the longer it will take us to achieve environmental justice for PWD. Serious efforts to address the equity gap in services and assistance provided to PWD begin with inclusive data gathering and analysis to find out how climate change and natural disasters affect PWD’s quality of life. Equally important is to consult PWD on their grievances and needs, open opportunities for their professional and political participation, establish accessible and inclusive disaster preparedness practices and ensure these are uniformly adopted.

Author: Yazmín Franco

Policy Recommendations

I. The Need for Data:

2. Policies for PWD Should be Driven by PWD:

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