Climate Change & Disabilities: How'd we get here?

4 years ago

We’re not in shape to leap in a boat if there’s a flood, or run from a fire… there’s an attitude I think that’s completely unconscious that we have to be ready to do these kind of things. Marsha Saxton (21:48)

Kristy Drutman interviews Marsha Saxton and Alex Ghenis from the World Institute on Disabilities (WID) -- one of the first disability rights organizations working towards creating research and policy that’s equitable and inclusive. Given the global pandemic, Kristy takes the intersection of disability justice and climate change to find its connection to coronavirus. While living in a country low on toilet paper and ventilators, Kristy and guests point out who’s been put behind to receive support. Without the infrastructure necessary to support people with disabilities, communities remain without adaptive technology and disappointingly unfit to support for this group. Marsha and Alex, nonetheless, share their optimism and practical solutions in hopes to build a more inclusive, adaptable climate-changing-world.

In this podcast episode, you’ll learn:

The unjust reality of where people with disabilities stand in line to receive support and rights
Being ready for climate change means adapting to it (v. excluding what may not fit)
Moving on from a utilitarian, triage mode of healthcare looks like letting people with disabilities teach us their needs while prioritizing their independence and quality of life
“It only takes one sentence to explain that in any environmentally compromised situation… people with disabilities will die first and sometimes fast.” Marsha Saxton (12:40)

We begin this episode connecting the reality between climate change and people with disabilities. Marsha and Alex say the truth point blank: people with disabilities will die and sometimes first. Much of their work at WID focuses on alerting the climate change impact to the disability community and give them the tools to protect and advocate for themselves. The lessons parallel with finding independence and a living quality of living amidst social distancing, businesses with closed doors, and a new normal.

“The majority of spinal cord injury research is stem cells and curing spinal cord injury as opposed to creating adaptive technology.” Alex Ghenis (25:41)

The modern healthcare system looks to find a cure for whatever doesn’t fit in; Alex Ghenis believes it’d be more helpful to spend that time developing adaptive technology, making the world more accomodating, and therefore reducing the impact of disability on the individual. The adaptation model applies to climate change and today’s global pandemic as well -- let’s adapt to the reality because it’s neither accessible nor available for everyone to put a band-aid on it.

“Know your neighbors.” Marsha Saxton (36:28)

If we need to adapt, then our solutions start with the basics: know your neighbors. Marsha and Alex dive into the importance of building community and creating disaster recovery policy that includes people with disabilities’ knowledge of their needs and fruition of action plans. Given that we are currently in a worldwide disaster, our guests take us through the lessons in everyone needs to hear and hear again and again in order to adapt, recover, and put the independence and life outcomes of people with disabilities first.

Marsha Saxton continues to work at WID’s New Earth Disability (NED) Initiative. NED addresses how people with disabilities fall extremely vulnerable to climate change. NED seeks to build climate resilience by using research to identify concerns and the best responses, educate the public, ensure that other stakeholders’ climate adaption plans recognize the disability community. Follow Alex Ghenis’ disability and climate change activism on Twitter (@aghenis). https://wid.org/2018/09/25/ned/

Here’s a list of organizations and brands supporting the disability community during this global pandemic:

Look out for

The Communicator™ is a clear window medical mask brand made to support lip-reading patients and healthcare providers. You can find these in-stock online at safenclear.com. Hint: buy to use or donate

Contribute today

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) is a disaster giving program, rated four stars by Charity Navigator. During the coronavirus pandemic, the CDP is working with NGOs to allocate funds towards supporting healthcare workers, quarantined and other vulnerable individuals, in addition to hygiene promotion activities. You can donate to their responses fund on https://disasterphilanthropy.org/donate-to-the-cdp-covid-19-response-fund/; follow them on Twitter

Meals on Wheels delivers nutritious meals, friendly visits, and safety checks to seniors who live in your community. Reach out to your local provider to get started and give more than just a meal. https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/find-meals; follow them on Twitter (@_MealsOnWheels).

Use these resources

The Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) provides a COVID-19 Hotline for the deaf community. Use ASL Now or VP 833-683-7630. Subscribe to the CSD newsletter at https://www.csd.org/subscribe/; follow them on Twitter (@ThisISCSD).

Disability Rights California (DRC) shares COVID-19 information, response, and planning that can apply to those out-of-state as well. Understand your legal rights, household plan of action, and public health guidelines at https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/post/announcement-coronavirus-and-how-disability-rights-california-can-help-you. For further legal information, call 1-800-776-5746 M-F, 9 am-4 pm (PST).

SAGE provides services and advocacy for LGBT Elders. Given that LGBT older people are twice as likely to be single and live alone, plus four times less likely to have children, SAGE connects this group of people to friendly responders on their 24/7 hotline. Call 877-360-LGBT (5428) for community support resources, answers, and non-judgmental responses. Check out their website, sageusa.org.

August Jay, Content Operator of Brown Girl Green

Find out more at https://brown-girl-green.pinecast.co