Disability Inclusion in Disaster Preparedness and Response: an evaluation of disability inclusion in the Disaster READY program in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste

Above: Paulo (left) and Abilio (right) from Ra’es Hadomi Timor Oan participating in community assessment following the Dili floods in March 2020. Less than 24 hours after the floods, Oxfam in Timor-Leste and Ra’es Hadomi Timor Oan deployed two teams to ensure people with disabilities were included in the humanitarian response. Photo: Reginald Ramos / Oxfam in Timor-Leste

People with disabilities are disproportionately disadvantaged by disasters and are more likely to be injured or die during a disaster than people without disabilities.

Disability-inclusive disaster preparedness efforts are an important way to address this issue. This is a primary focus of Disaster READY (2018–2021), a $50 million program of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in the Pacific and Timor-Leste, delivered through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership.

An independent evaluation of disability inclusion in Disaster READY occurred in 2020. It sought to answer the following questions:

1. To what extent are people with disabilities experiencing positive outcomes as a result of Disaster READY?

2. What is working well within Disaster READY to enable disability inclusion, and what needs to be improved?

3. To what extent are ANGO activities inclusive of people with disabilities?

The full evaluation report is available for download here (accessible file available here). The executive summary and findings can be downloaded as a separate, shorter document to facilitate uptake here (accessible version here).

A number of practical guidance notes were also produced as part of the evaluation process, on topics such as disability-inclusive health, WASH, and livelihoods, partnerships, influencing government and lessons on inclusion for COVID-19 responses. You can access each of these notes at the links below.

• Thematic Guidance Note: Using Evidence to Inform and Monitor Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction

• Thematic Guidance Note: Partnerships to Promote Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction

• Thematic Guidance Note: Influencing Government-led Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction

• Thematic Guidance Note: Strengthening Disability Inclusion in Community-based Disaster Preparedness

• Thematic Guidance Notes: Disability Inclusive Health, WASH and Livelihoods in the COVID-19 Response

• Disability Inclusion in Disaster READY: Early evaluation findings and recommendations to inform responses to COVID-19