Nothing About Us Without Us: Disasters and Disabilities

About

Ameera is a Sesame Workshop muppet on the show “Ahlan Simsim,” which means “Welcome Sesame” in Arabic. She uses a wheelchair and arm crutches. She represents one of 2.5 billion people worldwide who use an assistive device, but like many children in conflict settings, her wheelchair doesn’t fit.

People living with disabilities need to be included in all phases of the disaster management process, including planning, mitigation, response and recovery.

CDP’s director of learning and partnerships, Tanya Gulliver-Garcia, will moderate this webinar that will highlight the interconnections between disasters and disabilities. Panelists will discuss the various ways in which disaster inclusion can be practiced.

• Scott Cameron, executive producer for International Impact at Sesame Workshop, will share why Sesame made the decision to give Ameera an ill-fitting wheelchair and how she is showcasing disability issues on the show.

• Nikki Brown-Booker, the program officer for the Disability Inclusion Fund at Borealis Philanthropy, will provide examples of grants and promising practices for funding disability inclusion.

• Vance Taylor, chief of the Office of Access and Functional Needs at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), one of the leading emergency programs inclusive of disabilities in the U.S. Cal OES has responded to many recent disasters, including earthquakes, atmospheric rivers, floods, winter storms and wildfires.

At the end of the webinar, grantmakers will:

1. Be aware of how disabilities and disasters intersect.
2. Understand how disability inclusion can improve outcomes in complex humanitarian settings.
3. Learn about one state’s initiatives to be inclusive in its disaster response and recovery.

While primarily aimed at funders, it may also be of interest to emergency managers, academics, disaster responders and NGO staff interested in or working on disasters and other crises.