Persons with disabilities often experience barriers in accessing humanitarian response programmes. During disasters, their mortality rate is two to four times higher than that of persons without disabilities. Moreover, the extra risks of violence and abuse which women and children with disabilities face at any time, are exacerbated in times of conflict and disaster. To make sure that no one is left behind, we need to take steps to reduce these risks, by enhancing equal access and participation in humanitarian action.
This requires a deliberate effort of all humanitarian actors. Fortunately, no single organization needs to invent the wheel of inclusion on their own. There are frameworks, IASC guidelines and tools, which have been developed jointly by humanitarian actors and people with disabilities based on experience. The most important thing is to just get started. To make a principled commitment for disability inclusion and take steps towards it.
Perhaps you’re wondering where to start? That’s why DCDD has developed the Quick Guide: Towards Disability Inclusive Humanitarian Action. In this short guide we’ve gathered the most important things you need to know, plus the practical tools and resources to take the right steps. We hope it helps programme managers, proposal developers and field coordinators who are involved in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian action programmes to find the tools they need!
So feel free to use this guide and share it with your partners! Or send us tools that we may not have included in the guide yet: when relevant we will happily share them on our resources page. You may contact us at dcdd@dcdd.nl.