3 December 2011 is International Day of People with Disabilities. If we take the time on this day to stop and reflect upon the experiences and achievements of people with disabilities, we can see there are many links between disability and the work of Emergency Architects Australia.
To start with, during times of disaster, people with disabilities are often amongst the most vulnerable. Those who find it difficult to move independently or over uneven ground may not be able to flee dangerous areas, and can even be left behind. People with hearing or sight impairments, or those intellectual disabilities or mental health conditions, may not be able to understand warnings or instructions about how to access safety and shelter. This all means that people with disabilities are one of the most vulnerable groups during emergencies. In fact, one study has found that sixty percent of people with disabilities are overlooked during disaster situations.[1]
Then, obviously, natural disasters and emergencies lead to injury and disabilities for many people... often in situations where shelter and medical treatment are not easy to get to, particularly for those managing an injury. This means that populations recovering from disasters often have even higher proportions of people with disabilities. Globally, one in seven people have a disability... so where this percentage is higher due to a disaster, recovering communities get to the point where a very significant amount of their members have a disability, and thus have higher needs for appropriate support.
This underlines the heart of where Emergency Architects work intersects with International Day of People with Disabilities: the importance of ensuring universal and accessible design during reconstruction following disasters. Such accessibility can make the difference between people with disabilities being able to access key services such as health care, clean water and sanitation, and education... or being denied these.
Ensuring this universal accessibility in reconstruction work not only upholds the human rights of people with disabilities, but also makes good economic sense, The costs of inclusive practices are often minimal when implemented from the planning and design phase. For example, it has been estimated that using universal design principles in making a community centre and a school accessible added less than one percent to the overall respective cost. [2]
So this International Day of People with Disabilities let’s remember to make sure that all people, including those with disabilities, are able to benefit from this.
If you would like to find out more about disability, poverty and development issues, you can visit and sign the pledge at www.endthecycle.org.au or follow @endthecycleaus on Twitter
End the Cycle is holding a celebration for International Day of People with Disabilities at Martin Place, Sydney on 2 Dec from 12 – 2pm. Come along!
[2] Metts, R. (2000) Disability Issues: Trends and Recommendations for the World Bank. New York: World Bank
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