This document discusses disability and approaches to disability in the context of disasters. It begins by explaining the shift from the ICIDH model of disability to the ICF model, which views disability as an interaction between health conditions and environmental and personal factors. It then provides global statistics on disability prevalence. The document outlines various barriers faced by people with disabilities, including physical, social, attitudinal, information and policy barriers. It discusses key concepts like inclusion, equality and universal design. Finally, it examines international laws and frameworks related to disability and disaster management, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Hyogo Framework for Action.

2. Md. Saleh Ur Rahman
MDM (BRACU)
Disaster Focal
M4C, Swisscontact Worldwide
Disaster impacts,
law & approach to
disability

3. ICIDH vs ICF

4. ICIDH

5. New concept of Disability
In WHO's new model (the International
Classification of Functioning, Disability and
Health), disability is used to describe both an
alteration in function (activity limitation) and a
restriction of participation in daily life activities.
Environmental or attitudinal barriers (such as no
ramps or elevator, information not available in
Braille) that prevent a person from participation
no longer lead to a “handicap” but to a
“disabling situation”.

6. Disability
Disability is used as the umbrella term for
impairments, activity limitations and
participation restrictions.

7. ICF

8. How statistics looks like???
Global and Asia context of Disability
• Globally, over 1 billion people or 15 percent of the
world’s population live with some form of disability
including 93 million children.
• According to World Health Organization (WHO),over
400 million persons with disabilities is in Asia Pacific
region which is two thirds of the world’s total
persons with disabilities.
• 80% of them living in rural areas.

9. Cont.…..
Disaster & Disability context
• Persons with disabilities are often overlooked
throughout the disaster management cycle and
especially during relief operations, and are seldom
considered as important actors in conflict prevention
even though they are often more exposed during
conflicts and Displacement
• The Asia-Pacific region is the most disaster-prone
area in the world, with over 50% of the world
disasters occurring in this region.

10. Cont.….
• South Asia is home of 1.8 billion people, of which
more than 70% live in poverty.
• Over the last decade (2005-15), a total of 481 events
were reported in South Asia claiming around 135,000
lives, causing heavy economic losses for developing
South Asian economies.

11. Cont.….
A study of United Nations International Stratify for Disaster Risk
Reduction (UNISDR) found:
• 74% of people with disabilities have not known or do not known
for sure about their community disaster management committee
plan.
• 69% people with disabilities have not been involved in decision-
making and planning process for their community disaster plan.
• 76% people with disabilities have faced difficulties during evacua
tion in any disaster event.

12. “Because I can’t hear sirens,
when there is severe weather,
I have to stay awake to watch
storms until all gone.”
---Sufia (a hearing disabled
child)
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13. Barrier & Disability
The World Health Organization (WHO) describes barriers
as being more than just physical obstacles. Here is the WHO
definition:
Factors in a person’s environment that, through their absence
or presence, limit functioning and create disability. These
include aspects such as:
• a physical environment that is not accessible
• lack of relevant assistive technology (assistive, adaptive, &
rehabilitative devices)
• negative attitudes of people towards disability
• services, systems and policies that are either nonexistent
or that hinder the involvement

14. Barriers faced by PWDs in Disaster
People with seeming similar disabilities may experience
common barriers in different ways and some barriers
may equally affect people with seemingly very different
disabilities.
Five types of barriers faces by person with disabilities in
disaster situation:
• Physical barrier
• Social Barrier
• Attitudinal barrier
• Information and communication barrier
• Legislative/Regulatory/Policy Barrier

15. Physical barrier
Physical barrier are structural obstacles in natural or
manmade environments that prevent or block mobility
(moving around in the environment) or access.
Examples of physical barriers include:
• Steps and curbs that block a person with mobility impairment
from entering a building or using a sidewalk
• No ramp installation in front of the most shopping mall or
community hall.

16. Social Barrier
Social barrier are related to the conditions in which people
are born, grow, live, learn, work and age or social
determinants of health, that can contribute to decreased
functioning among people with disabilities. Here are
examples of social barriers:
• The unemployment rate in 2012 for people with disabilitie
was more than 1 in 10 (13.9%) compared to less than 1 in
10 (6.0%) for those without disabilities in globally
• Children with disabilities are almost four times more likely
to experience violence than children without disabilities

17. Attitudinal barrier
Attitudinal barrier are the most basic and contribute to
other barriers. For example, some people may not be aware
that difficulties in getting to or into a place can limit a
person with a disability from participating in everyday life &
common daily activities. Example:
• People sometimes fix those with disabilities assuming
their quality of life is poor or that they are unhealthy
because of their impairments.
• Stigma, prejudice, and discrimination

18. Information and communication barrier
Information & communication barrier are experienced by
people who have disabilities that affect hearing, speaking,
reading, writing, and or understanding, and who use
different ways to communicate than people who do not
have these disabilities. Example:
• In early warning system is not inclusive for all types of
person with disabilities
• The use of technical language, long sentences, and words
with many syllables may be significant barriers to
understanding for people with cognitive impairments

19. Legislative/regulatory/Policy Barrier
Policy barriers are frequently related to a lack of awareness
or enforcement of existing laws and regulations that require
programs and activities be accessible to people with
disabilities. Example:
• Rejecting qualified individuals with disabilities the
opportunity to participate in or benefit from federally
funded programs, services, or other benefits
• Rejecting individuals with disabilities access to programs,
services, benefits, or opportunities to participate as a
result of physical barriers

20. Integration OR Inclusion
Integration
Integration is vulnerable groups join in social activities
without the special assistance needed to effectively
participation.
Example:
People with disabilities in a village are invited to a
meeting for developing a community based disaster risk
management planning.

21. Cont.….
Inclusion
Inclusion is when that vulnerable group join in different s
ocial activities and are providing addition support
according to their needs in order to effective participation
Example:
People with disabilities in a village are invited to a
meeting for developing a community based disaster
preparedness plan after being given content pre
operational support.

22. Nothing about us / without us
Integration Inclusion
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23. Equality or Equity ???
Equality Equity
OR
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24. MRS_2018_Disaster impacts, law & approa
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The concept of “Universal Design” based
from this understanding

25. International law and legislation
on disability and disaster
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Person
with Disabilities (UN/CRPD)- 2006
The Convention does not create any new rights for
PWDs but aims to enable them to fully enjoy the same
rights as everybody on the basis of equal opportunities.
Some important articles to be aware of:
Women and children (arts. 6 and 7): the UNCRPD is very
sensitive to the double discrimination of being a woman
and being disabled and to the particular vulnerability of
women and children with disabilities.
Awareness-raising (art. 8): recognizes awareness-raising
as a tool to remove attitudinal barriers towards PWDs.

26. Cont.….
• Accessibility (art. 9): environmental barriers related to
physical environment as well as information and
communication systems need to be removed to
enable PWDs to live independently and participate
fully in all aspects of life .
• International cooperation (art. 32): highlights the
importance of international cooperation in support of
national efforts. The article mentions amongst other
that international development programs should be
disability-inclusive.

27. Cont.…..
• Article 11: situations of risk and hemiretina
emergency
State parties shall take, in accordance with obligations
under international law, including international law and
international human rights law, all necessary measures
to ensure the protection and safety of people with
disabilities in situation of risk, including in situation of
armed conflict, humanitarian and occurrence of natural
disasters.
• The CRPD also includes a specific provision related to
emergency context.

28. The Biwako Millennium Framework for Action (BMF)
The BMF is a political framework for Asia and
Pacific, where States have agreed to work towards
an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society
for PWDs. It covers a time span from 2003-2012
and can be seen as the “Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) for PWDs”, as the MDGs are not
disability-inclusive but can't be reached without
addressing disability issues.
It introduces seven priority areas for action, the
targets, strategies, time frames and the supporting
/monitoring mechanisms.

30. Inchon Strategy to make the rights real for PWDs in Asia & Pacific
Goal 7:
Integrate disability perspective into disaster preparedness and
management.
Target 7.A
Strengthen disability inclusive disaster risk reduction planning.
Target 7.B
Strengthen implementation of measures on providing timely and
appropriate support to people with disabilities in responding to
disaster.

31. Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-15)
The Hyogo Framework for Action is a global blueprint for disaster
risk reduction. Its goal is to substantially reduce disaster losses by
2015 - in lives, and in the social, economic, and environmental
assets of communities and countries.
The Framework offers guiding principles, priorities for action, and
practical means for achieving disaster resilience for vulnerable
communities. Priorities for action include:
• Ensure disaster risk reduction in national & local level
• Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early
warning
• Reduce the underlying risk factors.

32. Cont.….
The Hyogo Framework isn't disability-inclusive. It only mentions
PWDs once in section III. B:
Strengthen the implementation of social safety-net mechanisms to
assist the poor, the elderly and the disabled, and other populations
affected by disasters. Enhance recovery schemes including
psycho-social training programs in order to mitigate the psychologic
al damage of vulnerable populations, particularly children, in the
aftermath of disasters.

33. The Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction and PWDs
After evaluation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-15)
regard lessons learned, gaps identified and future challenges;
The Sendai Framework was adopted by UN Member States in
March 2015 at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk
Reduction in Sendai City, Japan. Building upon the prior Hyogo
Framework for Action, the Sendai Framework’s objective is “the
substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods
and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and
environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and
countries.”

34. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction - 2015-2030 as
the first major agreement around post-2015 development agenda,
with four priorities, seven targets, and 13 guiding principles for
action including a people centered approach and recognition of
disability inclusion.
The Four Priorities for Action:
Priority 1. Understanding disaster risk
Priority 2. Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage
disaster risk
Priority 3. Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience
Priority 4. Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response
and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and
reconstruction

35. How to mainstream disability in DRR?
What does mainstream means?
Disability mainstreaming is understood as a process of assessing
and addressing the possible impact of any planned action on
persons with disabilities. It is a way to promote inclusion and to
address the barriers that exclude persons with disabilities from the
equal enjoyment of their human rights. This is important to PWDs
due to:
• Link between disability and poverty
• Link between disability and disasters
• PWDs tend to be invisible in disasters
• Not including PWDs in DRR

36. Twin Track Approach
:

37. Mainstreaming model from Pro-Vention Consortium
The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (the Pro-Vention Consortium) has recently published a series
of Guidance Notes for mainstreaming DRR into development activities.
The model that it introduces for doing this can also serve for
mainstreaming disability into DRR.

38. Cont.….

39. Build Back Better (BBB) Approach
“Build Back Better” signifies an ideal reconstruction and recovery
process that delivers resilient, sustainable, and efficient recovery
solutions to disaster-affected communities. The motivation behind
the Build Back Better concept is to make communities stronger &
more resilient following a disaster event.
“Build Back Better” Principles for... (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.resear
chgate.net/publication/302488721_Build_Back_Better_Principles_for_Reconstruction [accessed A
pr 27 2018].

40. What Does BBB Mean?
This is a very new concept in disaster risk reduction framework. Build
Back Better (BBB) use of the recovery, rehabilitation & reconstruction
phases after a disaster to increase the resilience of nations and
communities through integrating disaster risk reduction measures
into the restoration of physical infrastructure and societal systems,
and into the revitalization of livelihoods, economies, and the
environment (United Nations General Assembly, 2016).

41. Basic principles of BBB
• Risk Reduction through engaging all community stakeholders
• Economic Recovery
• Effective Implementation
• Monitoring and Evaluation to fined out the gap and challenges

42. Thank you