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Description
According the International Panel Climate Change (IPCC) 2018 Report, if global warming continues at its current rate, environmental phenomena is expected to increase “in severity and frequency”. Due to poor access to resources, exposure to hazards and lack of ability to cope with these environmental changes, many vulnerable communities, such as people with mobility disabilities, are left at risk to the perils of climate change. As such, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe perspectives of people with mobility disabilities in regard to emergency & disaster preparedness in Mexico. Utilization of standpoint epistemology and community-based input from the focus population allowed for greater understanding of the need and revealed the necessary steps towards promotion of disaster and emergency preparedness behaviors among these vulnerable communities. The Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory, commonly used in disaster resilience literature, and the social model of disability was utilized to frame this study. Eleven semi-structured interviews were completed in two different research settings in Mexico. The findings provide a precise and nuanced understanding of holistic inclusion and what that means for the community in question, in the context of disaster and emergency. This study also uncovers many unmet needs in the community towards preparedness behaviors and the grass root and coalition building approach it requires. Lastly, and most importantly, this study echoes the same urgency as seen in the IPCC 2018 Report, except this study demonstrates this through the perspective of those who have actually lived through some of the most disastrous events yet. Conclusively, pursuit of health promotion in regard to emergency and disaster preparedness among people with disabilities requires an intersectional and equity-based approach in order to address this issue.
