India’s 70 million disabled citizens were forgotten while framing the Climate Change policies and progarmmes.  This has led to their: Invisibility in response systems; lack of understanding of consequences of climate change on them;  Exclusion from climate change response efforts; Communication difficulties as  document formats are not accessible for eg., pdf files are not readable by the blind and most documents on the web today are in pdf format. No Braille documents are available, no spoken documents also can be found. In this situation, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) need to understand their own risks in climate change and lead the process to reduce it.
Climate Change is a humanitarian issue, of one promoting equality and justice. Its policies and programmes need to be inclusive. Climate disasters are increasing in frequency disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable. South Asia is one of the most disaster prone regions of the world. Flooding is increasing as is draught. DRR should include awareness and adaption to Climate Change. Today’s investment in DRR would reduce the adverse impact of Climate Change. Of the 66 million people affected in South Asia by climate change (CC)10% as per WHO are persons with disabilities (PWDs). With little access to insurance, low incomes, meagre assets and fragile health disabled have to deal with climate related shocks under highly constrained conditions. CC means that the already precarious situation of many PWDs in India further deteriorate due to their high levels of vulnerability and social exclusion. Strategies coping with climate risks can reinforce deprivation and deteriorate disability conditions and make MDGs unattainable. Presently PWDs are harmed because they cannot meet these challenges as they are neither consulted nor included in the climate debate and documents are not in accessible formats.Inclusion in DRR would reduce the impact of CC on PWDs.

Aims:
1.    Make the sector inclusive by including PWDs in policy making and participants in training and advocacy on climate change.
2.    Most present day data on Climate change and its effects is anecdotal;  research must be carried out to provide empirical evidence as to how PWDs are affected by Climate Change.
3.    Monitoring future climate change strategies which would not harm PWDs as they have been doing now e.g. Use of compact fluorescent lights which further affect sight of the blind, in place of the environmentally unfriendly incandescent light bulbs indicating that while a good effort has been made to challenge the ill effects of climate change it does not help everyone and more than that affects some people adversely. The worsening of the climate may produce allergins which affect many disabled prone to allergies. Bad ventilation can kill the large number of disabled with respiratory problems. The high heat and cold affect adversely many disabled (eg. spinal injured) and some may be too poor to invest in new clothes.  
4.    Create awareness among communities in identified climate change demarcated areas in four districts of India .

Requirements

What is required is a base of knowledge and a network of partnerships which would ensure efforts to work towards inclusiveness and fulfillment of Art 11 (Emergencies) and 32 (Collaboration) of the UNCRPD, UNFCCC, Climate Change work plans specifically COP.  To achieve this research must be facilitated in a climate change location such as Sunderbhan in India which will create understanding of disability concerns and how they can meet challenges

*    There has to be advocacy and training of disabled on climate change and understand rights in climate disaster situations
*    Production of accessible formats in material and use it to create awareness among pwds internationally accessible and an awareness campaign with simple messaging on climate disasters and disability that is easily understood & recognizable
*    Ensure that disability is included in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) work plans specifically COP. It must also be ensured that there is full recognition and implementation of UNCRPD to facilitate better links between climate change initiatives and persons with disabilities.
*    Above all awareness creation in communities affected by climate change.

Who Can Do This?

This can be carried out by DPOs in collaboration with SHG groups in India. The DPOs will lead the campaign and SHgs will create awareness at grass root level.

Why SMRC:

SMRC is a DPO working in the field of disability for 35 years and is part of disability networks. It has been working as a DCA partner on anf off since 1999. As a member accredited to the UN negotiations on the Disability Convention it campaigned for Arts 11 (Emergencies) and 32 (Collaboration). Since 2005 it has initiated a global campaign for inclusion of disability in disasters (including climate disasters). The campaign headed by a global advisory task force of members from World Bank, UN, and Universities has worked towards policy change at global-UNCRPD, National-National Disaster Act and local levels -State Relief Code.
Lead consultant for World Bank Study on Disability and Disasters (covering 4 countries and 5 disasters). Organized an international conference in 2008 to discuss issues of disability and disasters and came up with a India Declaration. It has a special web page on the issue. Prepared toolkit on mainstreaming disability in disasters for UNDP (2009).
 
It has experience of community based disaster programs especially floods and cyclones since 1999. Works in 4 states of India on inclusion of women with disabilities in self help groups.

As the Disability and Disaster campaign it has highlighted the issue for inclusion in Disaster policies, and due to experience of SMRC this campaign on Climate Change if initiated will be broader and achieve results faster. As a member of Rehabilitation International with a network of 100 countries and of the International Disability alliance in all countries new partners will be drawn in through existing networks and will be possible to upscale and replicate faster globally.  

SMRC has the expertise and the grassroot level presence who can carry out the project