Planning for inclusion? An assessment of Ontario's emergency preparedness guide for people with disabilities

People with disabilities are impacted disproportionately by ‘natural’ disasters. In part this heightened vulnerability reflects cultural, economic and political processes that (re)produce the broader social exclusion of people with disabilities. More immediately, it reflects the exclusion of people with disabilities from disaster management and emergency preparedness efforts. This paper presents findings from an in-depth case study of Ontario's Emergency Preparedness Guide for People with Disabilities as one attempt at inclusive emergency planning, drawing on key informant interviews with government officials and disability organizations. Analysis shows that while the guide's development involved broad consultation, it fails to reflect the diversity of Ontario's disabled communities. At the same time, the guide's emphasis on fostering individual resilience in the face of emergencies is contested by disability organizations' emphasis on interdependence, preparedness and action at the community level and in the context of broader social and material conditions. Interviews with people with intellectual disabilities reinforce the value of a focus on interdependence, preparedness and action at a community, rather than an individual, level.