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Hello list,

I and a colleague are undertaking a small piece of research exploring aspects of the disproportionate impact of global climate change, and the discourse surrounding it, on disabled people, and seeking any views/suggestions for areas to look at. 

There has been a relative absence of empirical work which explores the differentiated aspects of climate change and its associated discourse. In particular the impact of climate change and the discourse surrounding it arguably have very different resonances for certain marginalised groups or those who have different experiences around the idea of resources (both external and internal).

One aspect already identified is that of disaster management and response planning; which usually appears to view disabled people as only a vulnerable group, rather than as people and organisations with resources to contribute to emergency/disaster planning. There seems to be little recognition of the links between an inclusive society and solutions that will serve all citizens well. Wolbring (2009) argues that established discourse of ableism and disablism can reveal some of the issues pertinent to climate change: ableism – predicated on idealised notions of how humans/human bodies can and should respond to any number of given events (including crises) – and disablism – society’s refusal to accept any deviation from the established and idealised ‘norm’. His paper vividly demonstrates what he calls the ‘neglect of disabled people’ in natural disasters associated with climate change (see also IPCC, 2007).  

I would be very grateful for pointers to existing research and/or organisations I could contact to explore this further. 

Thanks for your help.
Best wishes,

Sue 

Sue Porter
Research Fellow
Norah Fry Research Centre
University of Bristol