In post-conflict/disaster environments, where the prevalence of impairments and disability is especially high, people with disabilities should be included in the short- and long-term needs-assessments and management of emergency operations, reconstruction and development. One of the lessons learned from past experience is that people with disabilities should become an intrinsic part of all disaster responses, and if the responses are accessible to persons with all types of disabilities (wheelchair users, severely visually and hearing-impaired people, and those with intellectual disabilities) it could most certainly be accessible to older people, children, pregnant women, severely ill patients, and all others.
Information Sharing among Relevant Parties
Reconstruction offers an opportunity for information on universal design principles and other accessibility guidelines to be shared with all parties working in the areas of reconstruction, such as governments, the private sector, and other agencies. When possible adhering to universal design principles in reconstruction efforts would make a difference toward social inclusion efforts. In emergency and conflict situations, when government players may not be able to orchestrate a recovery effort, it is important to consider that disaster relief may have to come from local communities or agencies outside the country. Involving private sector (NGOs and companies) may be particularly important in post-disaster or conflict situations, as they often arrive long before the government intervention.
In the recent conflict in Lebanon, for example, a private construction company adopted the accessibility guidelines for reconstructing buildings in Beirut. While there was no accessibility standard in Lebanon before the conflict, these accessibility guidelines are now widely shared and established as standards.
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