Vulnerability and adaptation to extreme weather events in Bangladesh: understanding the experiences of persons with disabilities

My research examines the impacts and consequences of extreme weather events on persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Bangladesh. PWDs are among the most marginalised people in Bangladeshi society. The country’s sensitivity to climate change makes floods, cyclones, river erosion, and increasing salinity of land increasingly common. I argued that in Bangladesh, society's neglect makes people with physical impairments more vulnerable to disasters, because when disasters strike, they are very likely to be left to their fate. This study highlights the significance of understanding embodied experiences in order to challenge the dominant Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) policy narratives and practice. Through a close study of individual perspectives on the experience and meaning of exclusion, I argue for the importance of bringing these different perspectives into the government’s planning regimes and the wider, formal humanitarian dialogue. I adopted a qualitative research methodology to determine the causes and extent of vulnerability in various contexts of disability. This study focuses on physically impaired people who are members of households in the rural coastal villages in Patuakhali and Bagerhat districts in Bangladesh. Within these areas, I undertook a critical comparison of the exposures and responses to Cyclone Sidr, which struck the country in 2007, through to 2019, when the country was struck by Cyclone Bulbul. In research that covers people’s experience and memories over this 12-year period, I conducted in-depth interviews with 26 key participants with various physical disabilities. I also interviewed 18 professionals (some of whom have impairments) working with or for disabled people in government offices (GOs), non-government organisations (NGOs), and national or international institutions to understand how their practices had evolved over this time. Interviews with stakeholders were conducted at the offices of local Disabled Persons' Organisations, the community health centres, schools, GOs, and NGOs. In triangulating my insights, I also conducted focus groups and facilitated workshops in the study sites and created a short video clip of the experiences of PWDs. This research identifies a set of socio-political factors that remain challenging for PWDs, particularly uneven access to social capital when disasters strike, and the resources necessary for the post-disaster rehabilitation of PWDs. The Disability Rights and Disaster Risk Reduction Policy in Bangladesh advocates that PWDs should participate in local and district emergency preparation exercises and other disaster mitigation activities. My research revealed a lack of openness, information, and resources, and inadequate training to address these fundamental causes of disaster vulnerability. The study provides evidence of the ongoing mismatch between policy statements and ‘warm words’ on the one hand, and realities on the ground on the other hand, such that whilst people with disabilities enjoy "special measures" under the Reduction of Vulnerabilities Act in Bangladesh, their lived experiences during and after extreme weather events, continue to be very challenging.