Disability and Disaster Recovery

About your organisation

Is disability a key focus for your organisation as a whole? (please choose the best answer from the list)

Our organisation is run and controlled by disabled people The main purpose of our organisation is to serve disabled people and their families We are not a disability organisation but we do have a disability programme Disability is not one of our main areas

Has your organisation been involved in the recovery effort following either the Asian Tsunami or Hurricane Katrina?

We have had no direct involvement in these events We have been involved in the tsunami recovery We have been involved in the Katrina recovery We have been involved in both of these

Which event would you like to focus on here?

Asian tsuami Hurricane Katrina

Immediate Impact and Relief

How were disabled people affected by the immediate disaster? (e.g. in deaths, injuries, displacement)

In our experience disabled people were more badly affected than the general population Disabled people were just as badly affected as the general population Disabled people were not as badly affected as the general population We still don't have enough information to know how badly disabled people were affected

Any examples?

If you have an example of the way disabled people were affected when the disaster happened, could you tell us a little bit about what happened (in the box below)?

In the days after the event, how well do you think disabled people's needs were taken into account? (e.g. provision of food, water, clothing, shelter, sanitation, information, evacuation, etc.)

In our experience very few disabled people had their immediate needs met In our experience most disabled people's needs were met as well as the general population In our experience disabled people's needs were quickly recognised and well met

Any examples?

If you have any examples of the dificulties that disabled people experienced in accessing immediate relief or shelter, could you tell us a little bit about this? (in the box below)?

Does your organisation have specific guidance for meeting disabled people's immediate needs in emergencies?

Yes, we have our own guidance on disability issues for relief workers Yes, we directed relief workers to guidance issued by another organisation Yes, we do have guidance notes but it was impossible to communciate them to relief workers No, we were not be able to give specific guidance on disability in this situation

Any examples?

If you would recommend any particular guidance to other organsations could you tell us who provides it? (in the box below)?

Rebuilding Communities

In the time since the disaster, recovery efforts have moved towards rebuilding the communities that were affected. We are interested to know what this means for disabled people.

How have disabled people been involved in the recovery work?

Disabled people's organistions have been funded to make assessments or help with recovery Local disabled people have been involved in consultations about recovery Disability has not been a specific issue in planning for recovery

Any examples?

If you have an example of disabled people being involved in recovery planning and consultation, could you tell us a little bit about this (in the box below)?

There is a lot of rebuilding to be done. Is you organisation involved in carrying out local reconstruction work, or paying for it?

Yes, we are managing local construction projects ourselves Yes, we are paying conractors to carry out local construction projects No, we are not directly involved in reconstruction work

Many people are concerned that new buildings and services should be accessible to disabled people. In your experience how likely is this to happen?

Any re-construction work that we are involved in must be accessible to disabled people Disability access is being taken seriously but it is not a requirement Disability access is not a high priority in reconstruction at the moment Not applicable

Any examples?

If you know of a construction project that has taken disability access into account, could you tell us a little bit about it (in the box below)?

Planning for the Future

Many people are interested in how organisations can better meet the needs of disabled people in future disasters. We have looked at many examples of guidance but we would value your opinion.

Do you feel there is enough guidance on disaster planning and preparedness for disabled people?

We are happy with the guidance that exists and we use it We know that there is guidance but we have not been able to find it There is guidance but it is not very useful to us in our situation We are not aware of any specific guidance on disaster planning for disabled people

Any examples?

If you know of any particularly useful guidance on disaster planning for disabled people, could you tell us where you found it (in the box below)?

What about disabled people's organisations? Do they have a role to play?

Yes, they should be central partners in disaster planning and recovery Yes, they should be consulted even if they are not central partners No, they do not really have a major role to play

Any examples?

If you know of any organisations controlled by disabled people that could make a useful contribution to disaster planning and recovery, could you tell us something about them (in the box below)?

The last bit...

Thank you for sharing your experience, we very much appreciate your contribution. We will do our best to make sure that this benefits the international community and disabled people. To do this, we will publish the findings and also make them available on the Centre for Disability Studies website. We will also reply to you personally if you have any questions or thoughts. We will not disclose your personal identity to anyone unless you want us to. Is it OK for us to share your answers with others in publications or on our website?

Yes, I'm happy to share my answers and you can name our organisation Yes, you can share my answers but please don't name our organisation No, I do not want you to share my answers with other people

Is there anything we can do for you in return?

Is there is any way in which we can assist your organisation, or is there any information we can help you with? Is there anything you would like to add? (in the box below).

What is the name of your organisation?

(this helps us to know who has replied)

Can you tell us in which country your organisation is based?

Your name (optional): (we will not tell anyone this)

Your email (optional): (we will not tell anyone this)