Evidence presented to the UN Human Rights Council has documented Persons with disabilities in greater risks of flooding, extreme heat, food shortages, displacement and other climate-related emergencies. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognizes these threats on the well-being of persons with disabilities and yet remain excluded from adaptation planning.

The work of this focus area recognizes that persons with disabilities should not only be considered people affected by climate change but as problem-solvers and leaders in climate action. Over the past three years, we have increasingly shifted our approach from concentrating primarily on government and institutional actors to working directly with persons with disabilities to explore what changes when persons with disabilities are given the knowledge, tools, and space to define climate issues and participate in developing solutions themselves?

Goal: Strengthen the knowledge, participation and leadership of persons with disabilities as champions of climate change mitigation, adaptation and community resilience.

Strategies

• Conduct accessible community workshops that help persons with disabilities understand climate change, identify how it affects their communities and explore practical responses.
• Introduce structured listening, naming and framing approaches that enable participants to identify climate issues, consider different perspectives and participate more effectively in public discussions.
• Produce case reports, stories and opinion articles showing how persons with disabilities experience climate change and how they are contributing to adaptation, mitigation and resilience.
• Support persons with disabilities to communicate climate priorities, engage their communities and participate in relevant climate and development processes.
• Use public engagement and social media to encourage governments, development partners and other stakeholders to include persons with disabilities in climate programs, planning and financing.
• Work with organizations of persons with disabilities, climate organizations, researchers, government institutions and communities to strengthen disability-inclusive climate action.