Inclusive Disaster Planning. Evidences from municipal case studies in the Marche Region, Italy

According to academic and practical studies, there is a significant lack in the application of the Human Rights-Based Approach to disability in local disaster planning. This chapter discusses the main results of the study conducted by the Università Politecnica delle Marche to investigate at which extent municipal civil protection authorities are trying to include persons with disabilities in the emergency planning process. The main results of the study revealed that, despite municipal emergency planners recognize the importance to include persons with disabilities and their needs in the local emergency strategies and plans, there are still many challenges to face in order to implement an inclusive approach, such as (1) collecting data on the specific needs of persons with disabilities and allocating human resources devoted to the collection and updating of those data; (2) establishing systematic and continuous collaborations amongst relevant stakeholders on disability-related issues in emergency; (3) building and disseminating an inclusive approach to local disaster planning actively involving persons with disabilities; (4) implementing existing strategies and building new knowledge on accessible evacuation, communication and accommodation. Relevant evidences from this study were considered for the development of regional guidelines for municipal administrations to support them removing those barriers that prevent the implementation of an inclusive approach to disaster planning.