Disability and Climate Change: What It Means and How Disability Communities in Kenya Can Adapt

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges Kenya faces today. From prolonged droughts to heavy floods, the country is experiencing the harsh impacts of climate change, which affect vulnerable populations the most. Persons with disabilities in are particularly at risk due to systemic barriers, limited access to resources, and inadequate support during disasters.

As extreme weather events become more common, it’s essential to focus on climate resilience—the ability to adapt, survive, and thrive in the face of climate-related disruptions. This article explores disability and climate change, climate resilience and what they mean to persons with disabilities and offers strategies for better adapting to climate change.

What is Climate Resilience?

Climate resilience refers to the capacity of individuals and communities to withstand, adapt to, and recover from the negative impacts of climate change. For persons with disabilities in Kenya, building resilience involves ensuring accessible infrastructure, inclusive emergency services, and community-level support to overcome climate-related disruptions like floods, droughts, and heatwaves.

Climate resilience means being able to live in a community where persons with disabilities can access the same opportunities for survival and recovery as everyone else.

How Climate Change Affects Persons with Disabilities

Kenya’s diverse climate—ranging from arid regions prone to drought to areas vulnerable to floods—amplifies the barriers for persons with disabilities. Here are some key ways climate change affects the disability community in Kenya:

• Limited Accessibility During Disasters: When floods or droughts hit, emergency services, evacuation centres, and transportation systems are often not designed with accessibility in mind. For example, wheelchair users in flood-prone areas may find it difficult to evacuate quickly, and persons with hearing or visual impairments may miss out on emergency alerts.
• Health Risks: Persons with disabilities are more vulnerable to extreme weather. Heatwaves, poor air quality, and lack of access to clean water during droughts can exacerbate existing disabilities.
• Economic Strain: Some persons with disabilities who live in poverty, makes it harder for them to prepare for or recover from climate-related impacts. Limited financial resources often mean less access to protective measures like reinforced housing or alternative sources of livelihood during extreme weather.

Strategies for Building Climate Resilience in Kenya’s Disability Communities

1. Inclusive Disaster Preparedness Plans

A key way to build climate resilience is by developing inclusive disaster preparedness strategies. Kenya’s National Disaster Management policies need to be more inclusive of persons with disabilities by addressing their unique needs during emergencies. Here are some specific steps:

• Accessible Early Warning Systems: Ensure that emergency communication is delivered in formats accessible to persons with disabilities, including SMS, sign language, and audio formats. This helps ensure that persons with visual, hearing, or cognitive disabilities receive timely alerts.
• Disability-Friendly Evacuation Centres: Public and private entities should ensure that all evacuation centres and shelters are physically accessible and equipped with the necessary accommodations, such as ramps, accessible toilets, and clear signage.
• Community Awareness and Training: Raise awareness within communities about how to support persons with disabilities during climate-related emergencies. This includes training community members and local authorities on disability-inclusive disaster response.

2. Adaptation of Housing and Infrastructure

In areas vulnerable to climate-related events like floods or droughts, housing and infrastructure must be adapted to meet the needs of persons with disabilities. This can be achieved through:

• Accessible and Weather-Resistant Homes: Design or retrofit homes to be both accessible and climate-resilient. This includes building ramps, widening doorways, and ensuring homes are reinforced to withstand floods or extreme weather events.
• Inclusive Public Infrastructure: Public buildings, schools, and health centres should be built with accessibility features such as ramps, wider pathways, and accessible toilets. Additionally, Kenya’s public transport systems need to remain functional and accessible during climate emergencies, allowing persons with disabilities to evacuate or access help.

3. Strengthening Social Safety Nets

For persons with disabilities in Kenya, financial and social safety nets play a critical role in building climate resilience. Kenya can improve the social safety of persons with disabilities through:

• Cash Transfer Programs: Expand and include climate-specific financial aid for persons with disabilities, ensuring they have the resources to recover from climate-related damage, such as repairs to assistive devices or rebuilding homes after disasters.
• Community Support Networks: Encourage disability communities to form or strengthen local support networks. These networks can provide crucial assistance during and after extreme weather events, from helping with evacuations to sharing resources like water, food, or shelter.

4. Advocacy and Participation in Climate Policy

Persons with disabilities in Kenya need to be part of the decision-making process when it comes to climate policy. Their voices should help shape inclusive solutions that address their specific needs. To make this happen:

• Inclusive Climate Policies: Kenya’s climate action strategies should explicitly include persons with disabilities, ensuring their needs are addressed in disaster planning, sustainable development, and environmental policies.
• Representation in Policymaking: Disability organizations should actively engage in climate action discussions at both the local and national levels, advocating for more inclusive policies and greater awareness of the intersection between disability and climate change.

5. Leveraging Assistive Technology for Climate Adaptation

In Kenya, technology can be a powerful tool for helping persons with disabilities adapt to climate change. Some innovations that can support this include:

• Early Warning Apps: Mobile applications can provide persons with disabilities with accessible, real-time updates about weather conditions and emergency alerts, helping them take necessary precautions.
• Assistive Devices for Extreme Weather: Ensure that assistive devices like wheelchairs, hearing aids, and communication devices are climate resilient. Devices should be durable and able to function during floods or power outages, with backup power or water-resistant features.

Building climate resilience for persons with disabilities in Kenya is critical for ensuring that they are not left behind as climate change intensifies. By making disaster preparedness plans, infrastructure, and policies more inclusive, Kenya can help its disability communities adapt to the challenges ahead.

Article by: Maryanne Emomeri