When natural disasters strike, disabled people are among the most vulnerable. Disability acts as a multiplier, intensifying risk from both natural and human forces. Among other concerns, disabled people often cannot evacuate on their own, or they struggle to carry their medical equipment with them (which can be necessary for preserving life). Emergency services may ignore the needs of a disabled person—sometimes, according to experts in inclusive disaster relief, even blaming disabled people for not planning better. Such experts are concerned that too many emergency responders treat people with disabilities as objects with no agency or rights, tossing them into whatever institutional setting they can find.
[For more of this story, written by David M.Perry, go to https://psmag.com/social-justi...ing-hurricane-harvey]
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