More than 80% of persons with disabilities around the world have not participated in community disaster management and risk reduction processes. Most persons with disabilities also do not have a personal emergency preparedness plan (UNISDR, 2013). This data supports the common knowledge that persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected by disasters. Driven by the urgent needs of the availability of accessible information for persons with disabilities, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Resilience (UNISDR) has collaborated with Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) to develop inclusive information, education and communication (IEC) materials on disaster preparedness. The IEC materials will focus on the main sudden-onset hazards in the Asia Pacific region, comprising of earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones, volcano eruptions and floods.
As an initial step, ASB organised a consultation workshop, involving disaster experts from the Indonesian government and academia, as well as representatives of disabled people’s organisations (DPOs). Held on 22 November 2018, the workshop resulted in several important recommendations on multi-hazards safety procedures. Another key recommendation generated during the workshop was about creating modest materials which are accessible and inclusive to all audiences, including persons with diverse limitations.
The IEC materials development will not only involve persons with disabilities in the consultation processes, but also directly as the creators of the materials. Fikri Muhandis, a Deaf illustrator from Yogyakarta, will lead the content creation process together with the ASB team and through supervision from the UNISDR. Fikri who has just graduated from Brawijaya University with a degree in Art Studies, will make sure that the illustrations featured in the learning materials are not only attractive, but also can be easily understood by audiences from a broad range of ages and disabilities.
The learning materials are being prepared to be ready by early next year. The availability of inclusive and accessible learning materials on multi-hazards safety procedures is expected to strengthen community resilience, especially in the Asia Pacific region, where natural hazards have become the deadliest threat in the last decade. (Rizma Kristiana/Edit: Taarna Grimsley)
