Disability disasters and empowerment

Disability, disasters and empowermentDhaka Conference on disability and disaster risk management - December 2015

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Presentation outline

•Evidence from qualitative research with participants from Satkhira in a Sightsavers and Disabled Rehabilitation and Research Association (DRRA) disability inclusive disaster preparedness programme

•Outline the forms of empowerment accessed by people with disabilities participating in self-help groups formed in the programme; within groups and externally reaching outwards to influence change

•Research findings demonstrate the importance of engaging people with disabilities and the bodies responsible for decision-making at all level

•Engagement has led to changing attitudes and tangible linkages and representation with the bodies responsible for disaster management

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Sightsavers and DRRA programmeDRRA and Sightsavers agreed disaster preparedness and livelihoods are a priority in this region

Funded through Sightsavers Innovation Fund (UK Department for International Development)

Formed 24 self help groups in 12 Unions; three Upazilas in Satkhira; one in Khulna. Each self help group has 15 members

Aimed to:• Address vulnerability of people with disabilities to disasters by forming self-

help groups of people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities (identified by DRRA)

• Increase participant's knowledge of disaster preparedness• Access existing support for livelihoods and identify innovative livelihood

opportunities • Build capacity of participants to engage with bodies responsible for disaster

management• Advocate for disability rights at local and national level

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Context for people with disabilitiesNationally:•Increasingly disability-inclusive legislation (gaps in implementation)•Negative family and community attitudes•Stigma and discrimination•Inaccessibility•Challenges accessing employment, health care and education•Existing gender inequality heightens barriers for women and girls with disabilities – ‘double and multiple forms of discrimination’

Satkhira:•Poorest and most conservative region – extremely challenging, very limited resources•Lack of knowledge of disability issues – local leaders and service providers•Women and girls with disabilities face additional constraints around mobility due to conservative belief systems

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Natural hazards or disasters?

•Impacts of disasters are socially constructed, hazards only become ‘disasters’ for certain people: poorest people in a community are often the most vulnerable to impacts; those with strong livelihoods and resources tend to be more ‘resilient’

•Particular relevance for people with disabilities: poverty and disability are inextricably linked due to the number of barriers people with disabilities face accessing education, health care and employment

•Lack of evidence on the relationship between disability and disasters; and practice of inclusive disaster risk reduction / humanitarian intervention

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Types of environmental hazard


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Main types of environmental hazardCyclones•Sidr (2007)•Aila (2009)

Flooding

•Frequent flooding•Complex river systems •Heavy rainfall / monsoon climate

Waterlogging

•Waterlogged for months at a time (up to 6 months)•Results from tidal surges / floods / storm surges•Blocked dams / creating sluices•Sometimes deliberate – shrimp cultivation •Government Official claimed 2011 waterlogging only occurred as canals had been tampered with


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Types of environmental hazardFlooding

Waterlogging


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Context in Satkhira

Poverty and housing

•Despite conditions people are often reluctant to leave shelters as they have nothing left to return to

•Majority of houses are made of mud, bamboo and/or tin

•Located in highly vulnerable positions

•After previous disaster do not have resources to rebuild with anything other than the same vulnerable materials

•Exposed to the next environmental hazard


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Context in Satkhira


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Context in Satkhira


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Context in SatkhiraLimited range of livelihoods

• Land owners cultivate crops, poultry, livestock• Salinity limits crop production • Majority of people work as day labourers

• Fishing, shrimp, crab cultivation – vital to the region• Increasingly undermined by hazards:

• Assets washed away• Render fertile land unproductive

Poverty, challenging livelihoods and disruption due to regular disasters

“Everything gets disrupted…everything, every livelihood, because everything is empty…they have to rebuild from scratch”

Quote from a Union Chairman


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Research methodology


Research objectives • Identify the causes of vulnerability to disasters for people with disabilities in Satkhira

• Assess how participation in self-help groups has influenced participants access to forms of empowerment

Data collection • Group discussions / semi-structured interviews

• Satkhira / Dhaka

• Bangla / English

• Recorded and transcribed Sampling / site selection • Purposive sample (participants / relevant

stakeholders)

• Three out of four Upazilas in project

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Data collection


Research findings

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Vulnerability to disasters


Poverty and barriers accessing livelihoods: wider context of poverty andhazards; discriminatory attitudes of employers; economic pressure

Increased risk factors for women: existing gender inequalities; daily responsibilities; reduced social mobility in comparison to men; social taboos on physical contact even during evacuations; abuse at shelters

Reduced mobility: widespread inaccessibility; hazards change the environment; lack of specific evacuation plans; discrimination

Inaccessible shelters and relief distribution: shortage of space; inaccessible physical environment and sanitation facilities; lack of specific measures to ensure relief is accessed at shelters and in communities

Inaccessible warning systems: lack of consideration for people with sensory, multiple or complex disabilities

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Empowerment within groups


Forms of empowerment produced through participation in self help groups

Evidence within self help groups:

Trust Knowledge Norms / actions

• Shared experiences

• Common aspirations

• Functioning groups• Collaboration

• Disability rights• Understanding

impairments• Disaster

preparedness

• Disaster response• Reaching out• Organisational

activities• Changing attitudes• Inclusive changes

in the community

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Shared experiences of exclusion / growing confidence from participation

“They think I am not effective, I am not useful for them, I am a burden, I have no income, I cannot help…so we cannot give him respect”

“We are all a little bit deprived from the society, society cannot give us proper respect, proper opportunity to flourish. So I think if we join this group,

it will be helpful for us to become like one of them”

Quotes from Self Help Group members

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preparedness



in the community

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Disaster preparedness

•Use meetings to prioritise issues to address•Learn about types of hazards•Discuss warning signs / signals to be aware of•Identify family members or carers to take specific action

Disaster response

•Clear knowledge of measures to take•Plans for helping each other•Agreed actions with highly vulnerable members of the group (Assigning group members; agreed meeting points)•Cyclone Mahasen (2013)

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preparedness



in the community

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Empowerment: reaching outwards



Evidence of self help groups reaching outwards:


• Information sharing• Group lobbying

• Livelihood support• Welfare support• National and

international disability rights

• Representation on UDMC and CPP

• Inclusive changes• Advocating leaders• Advocating service

providers• Changing attitudes

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Representation

•Self help group members have been invited to join Union Disaster Management Committees

• 21 people with disabilities have joined UDMCs in 11 out of 12 Unions covered

•Self help group members have also joined or are advising Cyclone Preparedness Programme Units

•Links have developed through engagement

•Hugely positive impact – these are the bodies that conduct disaster preparedness and evacuations at the local level

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Representation

Self help group members were already noting the impact:

•Included meaningfully in plans and meetings•One Union Parishad had a ramp installed (used as a shelter)•CPP units are starting to use lists given to them by members•CPP also calling for people with disabilities, pregnant women and older people to evacuate ahead of others

•This was not the case before Cyclone Aila (2009)•Participants felt this was clear in preparation for Cyclone Mahasen (2013)

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Evidence of self help groups reaching outwards:


• Information sharing• Group lobbying

• Livelihood support• Welfare support• National and

international disability rights

• Representation on UDMC and CPP

• Inclusive changes• Advocating leaders• Advocating service

providers• Changing attitudes

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Changing attitudes of local leaders

•Initially self help group members felt UDMC members questioned what they – as people with disabilities – could contribute•The input of self help group members is now actively sought•Union members have expressed gratitude – aware of disability issues and are making changes (schools / hospitals)

•Still have concerns (attitude of health workers) but confident that through these links Union leaders will make positive changes

“If you can do something about persons with disabilities, it can be an example to other Chairmen in other Union Councils to follow”

Quote from a Union Chairman

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Recommendations


Target and engage people with disabilities – giving particular focus to the inclusion of girls and women with disabilities – agree minimum standards for disability-inclusive programmes; provide training to workers; and include disability audits in evaluations

Strengthen national information systems, data collection and use participatory – and disability-inclusive – vulnerability and capacity assessments to collate information on people with disabilities to identify existing risks

Strengthen the capacity and resources of people with disabilities; representative organisations and actively involve them in all stages of disaster management, climate change adaptation and poverty reduction processes

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Recommendations


Design and implement accessible and inclusive warning systems, information and physical support systems

Raise awareness of disability issues within communities and identify local champions; target families and community networks

Advocate for and promote the rights and representation of people with disabilities at all levels of society

Ensure a co-ordinated, sustainable and disability-inclusive approach to the development challenges posed by poverty, environmental hazards and the impacts of climate change

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Dhonnobad / Thank you

Report and summary documents available

For more information please contact:

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Disability disasters and empowerment