Humanitarian crisis and disability: conceptual, contextual and normative frameworks
Within the past two decades, the world has witnessed a major increase in both disasters and their impact on human populations. The linkages between climate change, extreme events, disasters and vulnerability situations are increasingly being explored. While differential impacts and specific exposure to risks are underlined, resiliency and capacities are equally important to understand and foster. Persons with disabilities experience heightened exposure to risks in the event of a disaster, illustrated by a mortality rate that is estimated to be 2 to 4 times that of the general population. This exposure is the result of both specific and general factors. This paper sets out to explore the concepts of the continuum of humanitarian crisis management, disaster, vulnerability and resilience. It will then identify analytic frameworks to investigate this topic, and propose future avenues for both academic research and practice on the ground.