Disability Futures

Disabled people suffered a disproportionate number of fatalities during Hurricane Katrina.

The National Council on Disability estimated that 155,000 people with disabilities (PWDs) were living in three of the Gulf Coast cities hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. Making up around 25 percent of the population, PWDs as a demographic were some of the hardest hit by the disaster, suffering a “disproportionate number of fatalities,” according to the NCD. (The NCD defines PWDs as people suffering from chronic health problems with functional impairments such as people who are blind, deaf, or use wheelchairs, canes, walkers, crutches, and service animals, as well as those with mental health needs.)

“People with disabilities are arguably the most vulnerable group to the effects of climate change,” wrote Gregor Worbling in an article for Media and Culture Journal, following the aftermath of Katrina. The problem, he explained, is twofold: PWDs “have the least capacity to adapt” to changes in their environment, and paradoxically, are “virtually ignored in discussion and planning about preparation.”

So how specifically will climate change affect disabled people?

Alex Ghenis is a policy and research specialist at the World Institute on Disability. For the past several years, Ghenis has conducted research into the effects climate change will have on the disabled. On his New Earth Disability blog, Ghenis list three major consequences of climate change for PWDs.