Introduction to Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction

Shaun Grech (PhD) is Director of The Critical Institute (Malta), Affiliate Associate Professor with the Department of International Relations at the University of Malta; Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Cape Town; and Global Technical Lead on Social Protection with CBM Christian Blind Mission.Jörg Weber (PhD), is Senior Global Advisor of Community-Based Inclusive Development at CBM Christian Blind Mission and Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Cape Town.

• 1.Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction: Laying the terrain. 2.The state of discourse: Critical readings on Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction. 3.Assessing the International Regime of Protection for Persons with Disabilities in Disasters. 4.Eco-ableism and climate change justice for persons with disabilities in the global south: Charting the legal terrain. 5.Climate Change, Disasters and Disability: A Critical View and the Implications for Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction. 6.Disability, intersectionality, and equity: Thinking about the interaction between disability and other identities in disaster risk reduction policy and practice. 7.Voice and responsiveness at the intersection of gender, disability and disasters. 8.It’s a disaster for us too! Disabled children in disaster contexts- challenges and needs. 9.Disability meets natural-hazard related disasters during violent conflict and forced migration. 10.Uncovering Barriers, Enablers and Pathways for Action in DIDRR. 11.Disability Inclusive Humanitarian action meets DIDRR: critical thoughts on the nexus. 12.Disability-inclusive warnings. 13.Assistive Technology in Disaster-Affected and Humanitarian Settings. 14.Inclusive education and school preparedness during COVID-19: Impacts and lessons learnt. 15.Reflections on Practice: The Gaibandha Model on How to Leave No One Behind in disasters. 16.Unpacking collaboration in disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction: Are we doing it the right way? 17.Politics matter for disability inclusive disaster risk reduction: coordinating policy and practice. 18.The potentials, challenges, and implications of DiDRR research with persons with disabilities in the global South.

‘Shaun Grech and Jorg Weber’s latest book is likely to become a go-to reference for anyone interested in understanding the complex relationships between disability and disaster risk reduction. It provides a wide array of perspectives from both scholars and practitioners whose work and experiences cover a large range of personal and environmental circumstances across diverse locations around the world. This diversity of voices allows to further understand the role of intersectional and contextual factors in shaping people’s appreciation and encounters of what we call disaster. An outstanding contribution to our field of scholarship and practice for sure.’JC Gaillard, Professor of Geography, University of Auckland‘This book represents an important addition to the global health and international development literature. Responding effectively to disasters is a pressing concern. But the 1.6 billion people worldwide who live with a disability have only recently begun to be included in such responses. And too often, this inclusion remains a low priority. In this important volume, Grech and Weber have brought together some of the world’s leading experts in Disaster Risk Reduction and Disability to provide nuanced and thoughtful insight into the range of issues and responses that need to be considered to ensure equal and effective inclusion for people with disabilities in times of emergency and disaster. As such, it should be required reading for all working in disaster risk reduction, whether it be in policy, practice or research.’Nora Ellen Groce, PhD Director, International Disability Research Centre, University College London