Making migration accessible: Inclusive relocation for people with disabilities

This policy brief looks at climate-related migration from the disability perspective to understand the unique characteristics of people with disabilities (PWDs), as well as factors that need to be taken into account to address the vulnerability and needs of PWDs in the context of displacement due to natural disasters. The author calls for a rights-based approach for disability-inclusive planning to protect the lives and well-being of people with disabilities.

The author proposes, among others, to institute disability-inclusive disaster response and evacuation to protect lives and well-being during initial displacement. This includes measures, such as providing accessible transportation, ensuring sufficient personal support and distributing appropriate evacuation warnings and instructions for those with sensory disabilities. Inclusive disaster response will also transport PWDs to destinations that provide accessible infrastructure and programming, as mentioned above.

Environment Migration Portal, Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Policy Brief Series, Issue 6, Vol. 2, June 2016. This document is part of the "Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Policy Brief Series" of the International Organization for Migration.