All disabled people have the right to protection and safety in situations of risk, including armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies, and natural disasters. This page centers disabled people's expertise to help emergency planners create genuinely inclusive emergency management that goes beyond check-box compliance.
Disabled people die disproportionately in disasters. Hurricane Katrina killed those over 60 at rates vastly disproportionate to their share of the population. COVID-19 devastated disabled communities while excluding them from decision-making. The 2025 LA wildfires killed people with mobility-affecting conditions at alarming rates.
These deaths are not inevitable. They result from emergency systems designed without disabled input, inaccessible communications, shelters that can't accommodate disabled people, and plans that treat disability as an afterthought.
Disabled people are not helpless in emergencies—they are experts on their own needs. Emergency planning that centers their expertise saves lives.
FEMA's "Whole Community" approach fundamentally shifted emergency management from segregating disabled people as "special needs populations" to including them as integral community members and planners.
Key principles:
Emergency planning teams should include:
"Special needs" othering is both inaccurate and harmful:
Use "access and functional needs" or "disability and access needs" instead.
The CMIST framework provides a functional approach to access needs planning:
ADA Title II requires state and local governments to ensure equally effective communications during emergencies. This isn't optional—it's the law.
All emergency information must be accessible through multiple channels:
Visual: Text-based alerts (SMS, email, apps), accessible websites, social media with image descriptions, printed materials in accessible formats.
Auditory: Radio, TV, public address systems, emergency alert system.
Accessible combinations: Captioned video, sign language interpretation at briefings, screen reader-compatible digital content.
All public briefings must include qualified ASL interpreters:
Emergency communications should be at 3rd-4th grade reading level:
People under stress process information less effectively. Plain language helps everyone.
TV broadcasts of emergency information should include accurate captions:
Emergency shelters must comply with ADA Title II. They must be physically accessible and provide program access to people with disabilities.
Entrances and routes: Accessible pathways from parking/drop-off through the shelter.
Sleeping areas: Accessible cots (17-19" height for wheelchair transfer, 350+ lb capacity), 36" clear space alongside, firm sleeping surfaces.
Restrooms: At least one wheelchair-accessible toilet with adequate clearance. Accessible sinks. Grab bars.
Showers: Roll-in showers required if any showers are provided, at least for shelters with 50+ beds.
Clear pathways: 36" minimum clear width, 60" turning radius at key points.
Beyond physical accessibility, shelters need:
Trained personnel who can assess and meet individual needs.
Personal assistance services for people who need help with eating, toileting, transferring, medication management.
Power for medical equipment: Backup generators, charging stations, outlets available to those who need them.
Communication access: Interpreters, accessible information in multiple formats.
Refrigeration for medications: Insulin, some biologics, and other medications require refrigeration.
Quiet areas: For people with sensory sensitivities, PTSD, autism, or other conditions where shelter environment is overwhelming.
Pet-friendly or adjacent pet shelters: Many people won't evacuate without pets.
Don't automatically route people with disabilities to medical shelters. Most disabled people don't need medical shelters—they need accessible general population shelters.
Don't separate disabled people from families, service animals, or equipment.
Don't require medical documentation to access accessible sleeping areas or services.
Don't treat disability as a reason to deny shelter access.
Over 4.5 million Medicare recipients use electricity-dependent medical equipment:
Power outages can be immediately life-threatening. Climate change is increasing power outage frequency and duration.
Shelter power:
Community power:
Individual preparedness support:
Medicare's emPOWER database provides de-identified data on electricity-dependent Medicare beneficiaries by geography. Emergency planners can use this to:
Available at: empowerprogram.hhs.gov
Dialysis patients must receive treatment approximately every other day or they die. Planning needs include:
Service animals must be evacuated with their handlers:
People should be able to bring essential equipment:
If equipment must be left behind, have plans for replacement or retrieval.
Many jurisdictions create "special needs registries" for people who need evacuation assistance. California's Governor's Office of Emergency Services "strongly discourages" them because:
False sense of security: Registrants expect help that may not come during large-scale emergencies when needs exceed capacity.
Resource mismatch: Registries work for small, local emergencies but fail during disasters affecting entire regions.
Maintenance failures: Lists become outdated quickly. People move, conditions change, contact information changes.
Privacy concerns: Sensitive health information in databases creates security risks.
Resource diversion: Energy spent maintaining registries could build actual response capacity.
Build universally accessible infrastructure: Accessible transportation, communications, and shelters help everyone and don't require lists.
Partner with disability organizations: Disability organizations know their members and can help with outreach during emergencies.
Use existing databases: emPOWER data, utility medical baseline programs, and home health agency records (with appropriate privacy protections).
Strengthen community organizations: Fund disability organizations and Centers for Independent Living to build emergency capacity.
Registries for specific purposes only: If registries exist, use them for specific purposes (power outage notification, for example) with clear communication about limitations.
Disability-related needs don't end when immediate emergency passes:
Disabled individuals can access FEMA individual assistance for:
Ensure application processes are accessible:
FEMA's Direct Housing Assistance must be accessible:
Include disability organizations in long-term recovery planning:
"States Parties shall take, in accordance with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters."
The Sendai Framework explicitly includes disability:
Developed by disability organizations and humanitarian actors, the Charter commits to:
Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies: The only US disability-led organization focused on disaster equity. 24/7 Disability & Disaster Hotline: 800-626-4959. Website: disasterstrategies.org
FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC): fema.gov/about/offices/disability
CDC Access and Functional Needs Toolkit: Guidance for public health emergency planning.
Administration for Community Living (ACL): Resources on emergency planning for older adults and people with disabilities.
ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments: Includes emergency management chapter.
emPOWER: empowerprogram.hhs.gov - Medicare data on electricity-dependent individuals.
UN Enable Emergency and Disaster Resources: un.org/development/desa/disabilities
IASC Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action: Comprehensive guidance for humanitarian response.
| Instead of... | Try... |
|---|---|
| "Special needs populations" | "People with access and functional needs" |
| Planning for disabled people | Planning with disabled people |
| One communication channel | Multiple accessible channels |
| Medical shelters for all disabilities | Accessible general population shelters |
| Disability registries as primary solution | Building accessible systems for everyone |
| Separating people from equipment/animals | Keeping people with their supports |
| Treating disability as afterthought | Centering disability in planning |
| Assuming what people need | Asking individuals about their needs |
Include disabled people as planners, not just recipients of services.
Plan for functional needs, not diagnostic categories.
Make all communications accessible through multiple modalities.
Shelters must be physically accessible and provide support services.
Power planning is life-or-death for equipment-dependent individuals.
Evacuation must be accessible, including transportation and destination.
Registries are not solutions—build accessible systems that work for everyone.
Recovery must be accessible too, not just immediate response.
This page centers disabled people's expertise and is informed by disabled-led organizing globally. For questions or to suggest additions, see How to Contribute.