Exclusion
"I feel that disabled voices... aren't heard as much. And I don't know why, it's like people with disabilities are the largest minority group in America." - Brian, one respondant of Disability Climate Justice
Exclusion of disabled voices and perspectives from planning and preparation for disaster have disasterous consequences. Non-disabled people do not have the adequate insight or foresight to accurately understand what the needs of people with disabilities will be.
"People with disabilities have a heightened awareness of risk and perception of the potential damages of climate change (as we discuss below). However, the scarcity of accessible information presents a significant challenge in disaster preparedness for people with disabilities, given that evacuation plans typically lack details tailored to their needs" (King, Martinez, and Pachoud).
Further, their common exclusion from mainstream discussions on climate change and its health consequences keep them from contributing to solutions. This forces marginalized groups to compete for limited resources. Including disabled communities in policy design and disaster planning could help improve outcomes not only for these groups but contribute valuable knowledge that can aid everyone.
Exclusion
from research, planning, data
inaccessible activism
from participating in policy making
research
Participatory justice requires participation of disabled people and organizations (DPOs)
Representation of PWD in policy often narrowly focuses on vulnerabilities. While the UNFCC created a Gender Action Plan amongst recognizing the disparities felt in climate emergencies based on gender, they have yet to create something similar based on disability. (pg. 103)
Exclusion
Exclusion from research
Disabled people are particularly vulnerable to environmental impacts. Nonetheless, they are largely absent from research on how society influences health and from critical studies in sociology.
Disability is usually omitted when studying effects of climate disasters. There are not many studies that specifically turn to disabled people for their experiences or perspectives.
People with disabilities are also historically excluded from higher education, STEM, and social science research.
Learn more about the research conducted by Molly M. King on Disability Climate Justice.
Barriers to information
Some people may choose to avoid information to prevent anxiety and fear, which may lead to a lack of knowledge about how to respond in a climate-related crisis. This avoidance can result in underestimating the significance of threats, ultimately increasing vulnerability.
During the event
During the event itself, disabled people have historically been left behind - from communications, evacuation efforts, and access to resources. Some of these include:
Inaccessible evacuation centers - cannot accommodate assistive devices or service animals, improper hygiene and food services, heightened safety risk specifically for elderly, youth, women, or LGBTQ+
Unreliable safety measures - promised transportation does not work,
Lack of communication - loss of power can make online communication difficult, if not impossible. Or the communications are not reaching disabled audiences or are not accessible (language, format, comprehension)
2-4 times higher risk of mortality and injury
Many prevention and recovery measures require resources - money, access to technology, education, backup supplies, access to a reliable transportation, etc. that PWD are more likely to have lower access to.
Preparation and mitigation
In preparing for the future of climate change or specific climate emergencies, there are many factors that PWD must take into account:
Where to live - disaster prone areas, safety measures
Rescue and response systems
Where to go in case of a disaster
Rehabilitation and recovery
Commodification and objectification within activism
Activists exist in difficult spaces where their identity is often an important piece of their activism, but this can sometimes be misused, misrepresented, exploited, and tokenized. However, intentional planning for inclusion can provide a meaningful route to access for all people to engage in protests.
Erasure
Environmental activism is often perceived as being for white communities or European countries, discrediting the expertise, perspectives, and lived experiences of communities of color or other minority groups. Activists of color are often excluded from climate justice movements. Ignoring the impacts of whiteness, colonization, and ableism in relationship to climate change is ignorant and does not change the realities felt around the world. Many communities globally work to protect the environment and create change, but would not be considered "climate activists because they [don't] ascribe to that notion of being part of those movements."
Used for diversity
"But after a while I realized I would only be called upon when climate organizations needed an inspiring story or a “diverse” voice, contacts for a campaign, or to participate in a workshop for “fun” when everyone else on the (all-white) project was getting paid." Many activist spaces are overly white and don't recognize the value in diverse voices sharing their stories and perspectives on their own terms. Diversification is essential in climate justice, especially recognizing how people from different countries, income levels, and abilities face different risks and responses to the climate crisis.
Exploited for Inspiration
While seeing people with disabilities as inspirational might not seem all bad on the surface, inspiration and disability often adopts a lens of pity. "Inspiration porn" takes stories of people with disabilities "overcoming" their disability, which implies that disability is a burden, struggle, or barrier that people need to overcome. This form of inspiration is objectifying and demeaning, but often not recognized as a form of ableism.
Misrepresentation
When disabled people are not called upon to share their perspectives with climate change and eco-ableism on their terms, it leads to a misrepresentation of their needs and experiences. As an already under-researched minority group, this puts them at higher risk of inaccessible preparation, communication, and policies.
Voices of the community are not heard
In-person protests/strikes
"Activism is doing whatever you can to make change" and can look differently for every person - Annie Segarra
Commidified activism - Daphne Frias
Inspiration and disability, shift from inspiration (pity) to motivation (encouragement to take action) - Daphne
It is not necessarily the disability that is barring someone from participating, but ableism - Annie Segarra
Sources Used & Suggested Reading
Conserving Biodiversity, Preserving Mental Health - Words by Tori Tsui (as told to Daphne Chouliaraki Milner), 2022. A story about activism, the ableism of eco-anxiety, how mental health is connected to climate, and the euro-centricity of environmental activism.
Disability Justice, Climate Change, and Eco-Ableism - Columbia Climate School, 2021. An hour-long YouTube video of a panel of disability justice advocates who explore climate change inequities and impacts, specifically discussing Eco-Ableism.