Five Years Later: Assessing the Implementation of the Four Priorities of the Sendai Framework for Inclusion of People with Disabilities

Abstract

Efforts to reduce disaster risk around the world should purposefully consider the needs of potentially vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR) is one of the few global disaster-related frameworks with a focus on people with disabilities. The objective of this article is to assess the inclusion of people with disabilities in disaster risk reduction strategies worldwide since the establishment of SFDRR as gleaned from research. Several studies were reviewed to observe how the four priorities were implemented and operationalized in various countries to reduce the risk for people with disabilities. Findings indicate that initial applications of the SFDRR have compelled purposeful actions, but there is still room for improvement regarding people with disabilities. The results conclude that slight variations on the definitions of disaster or disability may increase marginalization. Three key themes emerged: (1) the intersectionality of disability with other dimensions of vulnerability warrants focused consideration; (2) enhanced disaster preparedness requires more attention in order to empower people with disabilities; and (3) negative cultural attitudes need to shift to enable purposeful inclusion of people with disabilities. Additional studies on the global investments made are encouraged to share lessons learned regarding the integration of people with disabilities.

Keywords

Disaster resilience / Intersecting vulnerabilities / People with disabilities / Risk reduction / Sendai Framework

References

[1] Akanuma K, Nakamura K, Meguro K, Chiba M, Gutiérrez Ubeda SR, Kumai K, Kato Y, Oonuma J Disturbed social recognition and impaired risk judgment in older residents with mild cognitive impairment after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011: The Tome Project. Psychogeriatrics, 2016, 16(6): 349-354

[2] Australia Government, Department of Home Affairs. 2018. National disaster risk reduction framework. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/emergency/files/national-disaster-risk-reduction-framework.pdf. Accessed 29 Jan 2020.

[3] Baker, S., M. Reeve, M. Marella, D. Roubin, N. Caleb, and T. Brown. 2017. Experiences of people with disabilities during and after Tropical Cyclone Pam and recommendations for humanitarian leaders. In Proceedings of 1st Asia Pacific humanitarian leadership conference, 26–28 April 2017, 70–78. Melbourne, Australia.

[4] Banks J. Invisible man: Examining the intersectionality of disability, race, and gender in an urban community. Disability & Society, 2018, 33(6): 894-908

[5] Bennett, D. 2010. State emergency plans: Assessing the inclusiveness of vulnerable populations. International Journal of Emergency Management 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1504/ijem.2010.032048.

[6] Bennett D, Laforce S, Touzet C, Chiodo K. American sign language & emergency alerts: The relationship between language, disability and accessible emergency messaging. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, 2018, 36(1): 71-87.

[7] Bennett D, Phillips BD, Davis E. The future of accessibility in disaster conditions: How wireless technologies will transform the life cycle of emergency management. Futures, 2017, 87: 122-132

[8] Cannon T. Krüger F, Bankoff G, Cannon T, Orlowski B, Lisa E, Schipper F. Disasters, climate change, and the significance of ‘culture’. Cultures and disasters: Understanding cultural framings in disaster risk reduction, 2015, New York: Routledge 88-106.

[9] Carby B, Ferguson T. An exploratory study of disaster risk management information for persons with disabilities in the Caribbean: Provisions and gaps. Caribbean Quarterly, 2018, 64(1): 57-78

[10] Carby, B., T. Ferguson, S.-L. Steele, and Z. Maiyaki. 2018. An exploration of inclusivity for persons with disabilities in disaster risk management planning at the national and local government levels in Jamaica. Disability Studies Quarterly 38(4): Article 5776.

[11] Castro CP, Sarmiento JP, Edwards R, Hoberman G, Wyndham K. Disaster risk perception in urban contexts and for people with disabilities: Case study on the city of Iquique (Chile). Natural Hazards, 2017, 86(1): 411-436

[12] Chester DK. Theology and disaster studies: The need for dialogue. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2005, 146(1): 319-328

[13] Collins PH, Bilge S. Intersectionality, 2016, Cambridge, UK: Polity Press

[14] Craig L, Craig N, Calgaro E, Dominey-Howes D, Johnson K. Rivera F. People with disabilities: Becoming agents of change in disaster risk reduction. Emerging voices in natural hazards research, 2019, Cambridge: Elsevier 327-356

[15] Cutter, S.L., C.T. Emrich, J.T. Mitchell, B.J. Boruff, M. Gall, M.C. Schmidtlein, C.G. Burton, and G. Melton. 2006. The long road home: Race, class, and recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 48(2): 8–20.

[16] Davis EA, Hansen R, Kett M, Mincin J, Twigg J. Thomas D, Phillips B, Lovekamp W, Fothergill A. Disability. Social vulnerability to disasters, 2013 2 Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press 199-233.

[17] Department of State. 2015. Explanation of position of the United States for the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015–2030. As delivered by Wilson Sumner in Sendai Japan. US Mission to International Organizations in Geneva. https://geneva.usmission.gov/2015/03/19/sendai-framework-for-disaster-risk-reduction-2015-2030/. Accessed 29 Jan 2020.

[18] DFID (Department for International Development). 1999. Sustainable livelihoods guidance. London: DFID. https://www.livelihoods.org. Accessed 26 Oct 2019.

[19] Fischer H. The sociology of disaster: Definitions, research questions, and measurements. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, 2003, 21(9): 91-108.

[20] Fordham, M., S. Gupta, S. Akerkar, and M. Scharf. 2011. Leading resilient development: Grassroots women’s priorities, practices, and innovations. New York: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

[21] Fritz, C.E. 1961. Disasters. In Social problems, ed. K.R. Merton, and R. Nisbet, 651–694. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and World.

[22] Gaillard JC, Gorman-Murray A, Fordham M. Sexual and gender minorities in disaster. Gender, Place & Culture, 2017, 24(1): 18-26

[23] Grant, C. 2018. Disaster preparedness to reduce anxiety and post-disaster stress. K4D helpdesk report. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies.

[24] Gray, L. 2017. Social determinants of health, disaster vulnerability, severe and morbid obesity in adults: Triple jeopardy? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14(12): Article 1452.

[25] Hernández-Saca DI, Gutmann Kahn L, Cannon MA. Intersectionality dis/ability research: How dis/ability research in education engages intersectionality to uncover the multidimensional construction of dis/abled experiences. Review of Research in Education, 2018, 42(1): 286-311

[26] Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Reference Group for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings. 2015. Nepal earthquakes 2015: Desk review of existing information with relevance to mental health and psychosocial support. Kathmandu, Nepal. https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/system/files/20150622_nepal_earthquakes_mhpss_desk_review_150619.pdf. Accessed 28 Mar 2020.

[27] Kabir NI. A policies of inclusion and exclusion for the persons with disabilities (PWDs) interlinked with the climate change adaptation: Case study of Bangladesh. International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 2016, 3(4): 14-26

[28] Kailes JI, Enders A. Moving beyond “special needs”: A function-based framework for emergency management and planning. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 2007, 17(4): 230-237

[29] Kharade K, Ha H, Ubale A. Empowering students with visual impairment to prepare for disasters via differentiated instruction technique: A case study in India. International Journal of Special Education, 2017, 32(3): 567-585.

[30] Kelman I, Stough LM. Kelman I, Stough LM. (Dis) Ability and (Dis) Aster. Disability and disaster: Explorations and exchanges, 2015, London: Palgrave Macmillan 3-14

[31] Kendra J, Clay L, Gill K. Rodriguez H, Donner B, Trainor J. Resilience and disasters. The Handbook of disaster research, 2018 2 Cham: Springer 87-107

[32] King J, Edwards N, Watling H, Hair S. Barriers to disability-inclusive disaster management in the Solomon Islands: Perspectives of people with disability. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2019, 34: 459-466

[33] Ludwig L, Mattedi MA. The information and communication technologies in the risk management of social and environmental disasters. Ambiente & Sociedade, 2018

[34] Lunga, W., P.P. Bongo, D. van Niekerk, and C. Musarurwa. 2019. Disability and disaster risk reduction as an incongruent matrix: Lessons from rural Zimbabwe. Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies 11(1): 1–7.

[35] Maini R, Clarke L, Blanchard K, Murray V. The Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction and its indicators—where does health fit in?. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2017, 8(2): 150-155

[36] Malpass A, West C, Quaill J, Barker R. Experiences of individuals with disabilities sheltering during natural disasters: An integrative review. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 2019, 34(2): 60-65.

[37] Mileti D. Disasters by design: A reassessment of natural hazards in the United States, 1999, Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press

[38] Mizutori M. Economic losses and displacement should drive disaster risk reduction efforts. UN Chronicle, 2018, 55(2): 30-31

[39] Morrow BH. Identifying and mapping community vulnerability. Disasters, 1999, 23(1): 1-18

[40] Mt. Kenya Times. 2016. Humanitarian partnership conference focuses on inclusive practices Nairobi on 21–22 September. https://www.mtkenyatimes.co.ke/humanitarian-partnership-conference-focuses-on-inclusive-practices/. Accessed 1 Apr 2020.

[41] New Zealand. Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management. 2015. The guide to the national civil defence emergency management plan. https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/assets/guide-to-the-national-cdem-plan/Guide-to-the-National-CDEM-Plan-2015.pdf. Accessed 29 Jan 2020.

[42] Perry R. Rodriguez H, Donner W, Trainor JE. Defining disasters: An evolving concept. The Handbook of disaster research, 2018 2 New York: Springer 3-22

[43] Phibbs, S., C. Kenney, C. Severinsen, J. Mitchell, and R. Hughes. 2016. Synergising public health concepts with the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction: A conceptual glossary. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 13(12): Article 1241.

[44] Philippines. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. 2011. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP). https://www.dilg.gov.ph/PDF_File/reports_resources/DILG-Resources-2012116-420ac59e31.pdf. Accessed 29 Jan 2020.

[45] Pickering CJ, O’Sullivan T, Genereux M, David M, Roy M, Petit G, Lane D, Bournival V. Capability and vulnerability: A discourse analysis of multi-jurisdictional emergency planning documents. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 2017, 32(S1): S182-S183

[46] Priestley M, Hemingway L. Disability and disaster recovery: A tale of two cities?. Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation, 2007, 5(3–4): 23-42

[47] Quaill, J., R. Barker, and C. West. 2019. Experiences of individuals with physical disabilities before, during, and after tropical cyclones in Queensland, Australia. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 39: Article 101122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101122.

[48] Quarantelli, E.L. 2006. Catastrophes are different from disasters: Some implications for crisis planning and managing drawn from Katrina. http://understandingkatrina.ssrc.org. Accessed 28 Jan 2020.

[49] Ronoh S. Disability through an inclusive lens: Disaster risk reduction in schools. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 2017, 26(1): 105-119

[50] Ronoh, S., J.C. Gaillard, and J. Marlowe. 2015. Children with disabilities and disaster preparedness: A case study of Christchurch. Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online 10(2): 91–102.

[51] Saunders, W., S. Kelly, S. Paisley, and L. Clarke. 2020. Progress toward implementing the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals: Policy from Aotearoa New Zealand. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-020-00269-8.

[52] Stough LM, Kang D. The Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction and persons with disabilities. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2015, 6(2): 140-149

[53] Stough LM, Kelman I. Rodríguez H, Donner W, Trainor JE. People with disabilities and disasters. Handbook of Disaster Research, 2018, Cham: Springer 225-242

[54] Stough, L.M., E.M. Ducy, and D. Kang. 2017. Addressing the needs of children with disabilities experiencing disaster or terrorism. Current Psychiatry Reports 19(4): Article 24.

[55] Thailand. National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee. 2015. National disaster risk management plan. http://www.disaster.go.th/upload/download/file_attach/584115d64fcee.pdf. Accessed 29 Jan 2020.

[56] Twigg, J., M. Kett, and E. Lovell. 2018. Disability inclusion and disaster risk reduction. Briefing Note. London: Overseas Development Institute. https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/12324.pdf. Accessed 26 Oct 2019.

[57] UNISDR (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) Hyogo framework for action 2005–2015: Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters, 2005, Geneve: UNISDR

[58] UNISDR (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction). 2015. Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction, 2015–2030. https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/publications/43291. Accessed 30 Oct 2019.

[59] United States. Department of Homeland Security. 2019. National Response Framework, 4th edn. https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/117791. Accessed 29 Jan 2020.

[60] Vanuatu. Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation. 2017a. SANMA provincial disaster response & climate change management plan. http://www.ndmo.gov.vu/resources/downloads/category/19-disaster-response-plans. Accessed 29 Jan 2020.

[61] Vanuatu. Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation. 2017b. TAFEA provincial disaster response & climate change management plan. http://www.ndmo.gov.vu/resources/downloads/category/19-disaster-response-plans. Accessed 29 Jan 2020.

[62] Vanuatu. Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation. 2019. National cyclone support plan 2019–2020. http://www.ndmo.gov.vu/resources/downloads/category/19-disaster-response-plans. Accessed 29 Jan 2020.

[63] Wisner B, Blaikie P, Cannon T, Davis I. At risk: Natural hazards, people’s vulnerability, and disasters, 2004, New York: Routledge

[64] World Bank. 2019. Disability and inclusion overview. Topics: Understanding poverty. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disability. Accessed 30 Jan 2020.

[65] World Bank Group Disability inclusion in disaster risk management: Promising practices and opportunities for enhanced engagement, 2017, Washington, DC: Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery

[66] Wright, N., L. Fagan, J.M. Lapitan, R. Kayano, J. Abrahams, Q. Huda, and V. Murray. 2020. Health emergency and disaster risk management: Five years into implementation of the Sendai Framework. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-020-00274-x.