World Institute on DisabilitySponsored by California Department of Public

Health’s Office of Health Equity

People with disabilities (PWD) need support for health & independence

Medical: quality healthcare, equipment, supplies, medication

Life quality resources: personal assistance, accessible housing, transportation, jobs

Funding & stability: social services, community & family support

Takes time to develop, but it’s vulnerable

Climate change is a matter of global survival

Many things affected: food production, natural disasters, public health, migration

Some are impacted more than others: poor, minorities, developing countries, disabilities

Some groups are denying that climate change exists, then fighting to stop any action

Many others are pushing to cut emissions - but ignoring how we need to adapt & prepare

“Thermal radiation” comes down from the sun

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap thermal radiation & keep the atmosphere warm

We emit carbon dioxide & other GHGs by burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, etc.

These GHGs trap extra radiation & warm up the atmosphere even more (“global warming”)

The warmer atmosphere changes weather and other aspects of the climate (ie soil moisture)

This affects nature, ecosystems & humanity

1870: 270 ppm CO2 2017: 403+ ppm

Avg. temp increased 1°C (1.8°F) since 1870

The “flows” of GHGs have a very delicate balance - but they’ve shifted

Many reasons:

• Industrialization: power plants, vehicles, & manufacturing produce CO2.

• Large-scale farming: decomposing waste, cow farts

• Deforestation removes CO2-absorbing plants

• Feedback loops: melting ice & permafrost

Direct Impacts

• Stronger & more frequent

storms

• Expanding drought &

forest fires

• Sea level rise & ocean

acidification

• More intense heat waves

• General weather pattern

changes

Indirect Impacts

• Infrastructure damage

• Food insecurity

• Poor health and mortality

• Economic disruptions

• Environmental/ecosystem

instability

• Widespread migration:

“climate refugees”

Stronger storms & extreme weather◦ Many types, geography-dependent

◦ Storm–related injuries & fatalities

◦ Infrastructure damage & interrupted services

Drought, water shortages & crop stress◦ Gravest in developing countries w/o infrastructure

◦ Exacerbated by poor resource management

Large-scale migration◦ 200 million to 1 billion+ by 2050

◦ Resource stresses, social & political tensions

International targets include 1.5 and 2°C Climate scientists predict large changes even if

we cut emissions. • Most models are conservative, ie. no feedback loops

Unfortunately, we cannot “stop global warming.”

Preparing for climate change is very important

Saves lives, well-being, economies & more

Step 1: Create general resiliency◦ Physical & economic infrastructure

◦ Social systems and support networks

Step 2: Situation-Focused Planning◦ Disaster readiness & response (DRR)

◦ Resource management (i.e. water & drought)

◦ Internal & international migration

Start early, provide resources, plan ahead

Oppressed & marginalized groups will be hit hardest & supported least◦ “Developing” countries & the global South

◦ Economically disempowered & poor

◦ People of color & religious/ethnic minorities

◦ People with disabilities

Adaptive climate justice◦ Address root causes of vulnerability

◦ Prepare with specific focus on vulnerable groups

◦ Provide resources & demand help from privileged

People with Disabilities face vulnerability, discrimination, marginalization, and lack of resources & social supports

Climate Change creates additional stresses

During climate change effects, PWDs may:

◦ Experience excess injury, death or health consequences

◦ Fall behind in times of emergency

◦ Lose social or medical supports

Medical model: “Something is wrong” with the person compared to the able-bodied “norm”

◦ Implies brokenness, lack of capacity, unworthiness

History of exclusion

Eugenic ideology: burden, better off dead

Triage mentality

“Essentially excludable”

Disability is located in attitudes and the inaccessible environment

The social model is not just a philosophy

What is required for the social model to operate for inclusion?

We’ve had 60 years of activism and advocacy resulting in more inclusive infrastructure

Accessible housing

Accessible roads, sidewalks, entrances

Accessible transport

“Social Cohesion” – stable, dependable relationships

Medical, non-emergency, DME resources

Social benefits to pay for essential services, typically locale –dependent

Mobility across borders

Electric Power to support accessible technologies

Communications

Political empowerment & engagement

Yes, we are vulnerable!

Concept created by Katrina and other disasters’ neglect of marginalized people

Good & bad news re CERT, FAST, FEMA, cities and states, UNCRPD, UNDRR

Issues touched on at NGO, government, local, national & international levels

“Disability-adjusted life years” (DALYs, a Public Health measure) • “Quantifies” levels of disability, population & time to

a single metric of quality of life

• Existing focus of major reports

Increased DALYs have many causes including:• Storm-related injuries

• Crop shortages & malnutrition

• Invasive diseases

• Climate-related conflict & war injuries

CC will have extra impacts on PWDs Storms & extreme weather◦ Inaccessible shelters & evacuation methods◦ Fragile support systems (medical, caregivers, etc)

Heat waves◦ Increased chance of heat exhaustion & heatstroke◦ Reduced access to air-conditioning

Invasive diseases◦ Greater vulnerability because of fragile health

Mass Climate Migration◦ Inaccessible transit & housing, maintaining support

Communication for sensory disabilities◦ Storm warnings on TV. Closed captioning is key

◦ Announcements in shelters: TTY, CCTV, interpreters

Evacuation◦ Accessible buses & operational paratransit

◦ Mass evacuations of nursing homes etc.

Shelters◦ Fully accessible with medical support

◦ Confusion around “special needs” shelters

Recovery: housing and employment

“Climate migrants” – people forced to relocate due to climate factors

Anticipate up to 1 billion migrants by 2050 (IOM)

Many reasons for relocating• Unlivable homes: flooded coastlines, extreme

drought, heat waves

• Evacuating storms andnot returning home

• Damaged economies

• Refugees from climate-related conflict

Difficulties in displacement & relocation◦ Accessible transit & new accessible housing

◦ Maintaining & rebuilding support networks

◦ Attaining/transferring healthcare & social services

◦ Refusal-of-entry due to disability

◦ Excess vulnerability throughout migration

◦ Abandonment by family, community or caregivers

Most climate migration literature doesn’t include disability. Disability & displacement lit is almost entirely about conflict refugees

Climate Change affects economies & markets◦ Decreased productivity

◦ Supply lines (i.e. through coastal ports)

◦ Resource shortages & price increases

PWDs already face economic challenges◦ Employment, (age 21-64, USA): 35.2% v. 78.3%

◦ Annual earnings: $40,100 v. $45,100

◦ Poverty: 27.0% v. 11.6%

Unique economic needs◦ Medical care & supplies

◦ Government benefits, supports, & public services

Many orgs look at CC, with regular reports◦ International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)◦ National & local government commissions◦ Nonprofits

PWD are often not specifically addressed◦ Instead, lumped in with “vulnerable” or

“special” groups, i.e. children, the elderly, and the disabled”

◦ Some mention: CC will cause more disability

There have been a few articles, white papers, and a 5-day “e-discussion” about CC & PWD.

Government agencies and NGOs: inclusive Disaster Readiness and Response (DRR)◦ Agencies: emergency services, public health, social

services, local government

◦ Disability NGOs: international-focused, disaster response (i.e. Portlight), local advocates

Increasing climate-disability interest◦ Growing recognition & efforts

◦ Actors at all levels: local, national, international

◦ Dispersed groups: needs connection & organizing

California government: ◦ California Department of Public Health (CDPH):

Office of Health Equity

◦ Office of Emergency Services (OES): Access and Functional Needs

County emergency managers

Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)

Disability organizations◦ Portlight Strategies

◦ National Ethnic Disability Alliance (Australia)

◦ World Institute on Disability

Information from California’s Third Climate AssessmentMore info available at http://climatechange.ca.gov/research/

By 2050, California is projected to warm by approximately 2.7°F above 2000 averages.◦ By 2100, average temperatures could increase by

4.1– 8.6°F, depending on emissions levels.

◦ Springtime warming — a critical influence on snowmelt — will be particularly pronounced.

◦ Summer temperatures will rise more than winter temperatures, and the increases will be greater in inland California, compared to the coast.

◦ Heat waves will be more frequent, hotter, and longer. There will be fewer extremely cold nights.

Less precipitation, especially in SoCal

More precipitation falling as rain, not snow

Stronger “atmospheric river” events

Drier soils, dried & dying vegetation

Greater risk of wildfire ◦ “…longterm increase in fire occurrence associated

with a higher emissions scenario is substantial, with increases in the number of large fires statewide ranging from 58 percent to 128 percent above historical levels by 2085. Under the same emissions scenario, estimated burned area will increase by 57 percent to 169 percent, depending on location.”

Reductions in hydro-electric power

More energy demand from air conditioners etc. (est. 38% extra in capacity by 2100)◦ “…predominantly non-minority and wealthier ZIP

codes are projected to experience smaller increases in energy consumption, while… [ZIPs with more] Latino and lower-income residents are projected to experience larger increases in energy use.”

“Transmission line loss” of 7% to 8%

Fire risk to large transmission lines, including OR-CA connection and LA area

“Coastal counties in California are home toabout 32 million people, generating billionsin revenues from industry, shipping, tourismand other economic activities that supportmillions of jobs.”

Sea level has risen 7 inches in the last century◦ “…sea level along the state’s coastline in 2050

could be 10-18 inches higher than in 2000, and 31-55 inches higher by [2100].”

Increasing strength of storms, and related storm surge and wave intensity. ◦ “As early as 2050, given current projections of sea-

level rise, today’s 100-year storm could occur once every year.”

Responses: “coastal armoring,” “planned retreat” and “ecosystem-based adaptation”

“Public health could also be affected by climatechange impacts on air quality, food production, theamount and quality of water supplies, energypricing and availability, and the spread ofinfectious diseases. These impacts could havepotentially long-term repercussions, and theseverity of their impacts depends largely on howcommunities and families can adapt.”

Office of Access and Functional Needs

“2017 Year in Review”

World Institute on Disability

January 17, 2017

L. Vance Taylor

Chief, Office of Access and Functional Needs

Vance.Taylor@CalOES.ca.gov

Office: (916) 845-8202

Time Flies

One for the Record Books!

Lions, Tigers & Bears!

Rain…Floods…

Mudslides…

DamageddonThe Oroville Dam:

• Nation’s tallest dam

• 2nd largest US manmade

lake

• On 2/12/17 erosion caused

Emergency Spillway failure

potentially sending 30ft wall

of water through

downstream communities

• Evacuated over 180,000

people

• Supported 42 shelters

Northern California WildfiresOctober 8th:

• 11,000 firefighters & 500

law officers responded

• Supported +40 shelters

• Provided 40,000 meals,

60,000 liters of water,

2,000 ADA cots, 12,000

blankets

• 245,000 acres burned

• 9,000 structures lost

• $9 billion in damages

• 43 people perished

Southern California Wildfires

December 4th:

• Largest wildfire in state history

• Evacuated 105,000 people

• Mutual aid from Arizona, Idaho,

Montana, New Mexico,

Nevada, Oregon, Utah, the

National Guard and US military

• 8,500 firefighters responded –

the largest mobilization ever

• 283,000 acres burned

• 1,200 structures lost

Lessons Learned

Emergency managers can save lives, reduce suffering, increase

independence and promote the health of individuals with

access and functional needs within their communities by doing

the following three things:

1. Establish a relationship with their local Independent Living

Center (ILC)

2. Reassess the accessibility of their sheltering facilities

3. Integrate American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters within

their press conferences

A Relationship w/the ILCs

• Non-profits operated by

individuals with disabilities &

promote independent living

• There are 28 ILCs in California

• Capacity to push out critical

disaster-related information

• Can assist determining

consumer evacuation and

sheltering needs

• May provide durable medical

equipment and assistive

technology to consumers

Reassessing Shelters• The National Shelter System

(NSS) is out of date

• The accessibility

assessments are incomplete

or out of date

• Too often, officials select

shelters based on poor or

incomplete information

• Reassessing shelters saves

time, money, and bandwidth

of bringing in ADA resources

• Accessible shelters promote

the health, safety, and

independence of survivors

ASL Interpreters at Press Events

• American Sign Language

(ASL) interpreters need to be

at all press conferences

• Without ASL interpreters; the

deaf community cannot

receive, process or act on life-

saving information

• The deaf community were

forced to rely on text messages

from family and friends in order

to get to safety

• Cal OES has a Disaster

Response Interpreter

credentialing program

In Conclusion…

Office of Access and Functional Needs

L. Vance Taylor

Chief, Office of Access and Functional Needs

Vance.Taylor@CalOES.ca.gov

Office: (916) 845-8202

Thank you!

World Institute on Disability webinar

January 17, 2018

Linda Helland, MPH, CPHClimate Change and Health Equity Program

Office of Health Equity

California Department of Public Health

Considering People with Disabilities in

Climate Change Policy – the Work of the

California Department of Public Health

Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience:

Thrive and Bounce Forward

54

Safeguarding CA Climate Adaptation Plan

55http://resources.ca.gov/climate/safeguarding/

Tools to Identify Communities for Investment:

Climate Change and Health Vulnerability

Indicators for California

Environmental Exposures:

Heat

Air Quality

Drought

Wildfires

Sea Level Rise

Population Sensitivity:

Children and Elderly

Poverty

Education

Race and Ethnicity

Outdoor Workers

Vehicle Ownership

Linguistic Isolation

Disability

Health Insurance

Violent Crime Rate

Adaptive Capacity:

Air Conditioning Ownership

Tree Canopy

Impervious Surfaces

Public Transit Access

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OHE/Pages/CC-Health-Vulnerability-Indicators.aspx

Tools to Identify Communities for Investment:

Climate Change and Health Profile Reports

Tools to Identify Communities for Investment:

Climate Change and Health Profile Reports

Environmental Exposures:

Precipitation

Sea Level Rise

Heat Waves

Wildfire Risk

Social Factors that Confer Risk or Protection:

Living in Rural Areas

Children 0-4

Adults 65 and older

Linguistic Isolation

< High School Education

Poverty

Household rent/mortgage >50% of income

Residents within ½ mile of frequent transit

Outdoor Workers

Vehicle Ownership

Food Insecurity among Low-Income

Violent Crime Rate

Voting Rate

Nursing Facilities, Prisons & College Dorms

Air Conditioning

Tree Canopy

Health Outcomes & Inequities:

Death Rates

Multiple Chronic Conditions

Asthma Diagnoses

Heat-related Emergency Rm Visits

Adult Obesity

Living with a Disability

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OHE/Pages/CC-Health-Vulnerability-Indicators.aspx

Planning and Investing for a Resilient California

59

“State agencies' planning and

investment shall…protect the

state's most vulnerable

populations”.

“…Climate change will

disproportionately affect the

state's most vulnerable…”

Executive Order B-30-15: Account for Climate Change in All State Planning & Investments

Everyone has the same Everyone has what they need

EquityEquality

Equity = Prioritize investment and opportunities

in communities facing inequities

60

Grap

hic: Saskato

on

Health

Regio

n

Equity Guidance: Identify Vulnerable Communities

61

Community Engagement Results in Better Decisions

62http://opr.ca.gov/planning/icarp/resilient-ca.html

Equity Checklist – Considerations for Agencies

✓Which vulnerable populations may be impacted or

could benefit?

✓ Increase racial equity?

✓Decrease inequality in income or wealth?

✓Ensure safety and improve health outcomes for

vulnerable populations, including people with

disabilities?

✓Prioritize vulnerable communities for employment

and job training?

✓Dedicated set-asides?

63

Prioritize Resources for Equity

Mechanisms to assure particular benefit to low income or otherwise vulnerable populations

✓Extra financial incentives, investments, or resources

✓Higher levels of service

✓Facilities

✓Capacity building or training

✓Jobs

64

http://opr.ca.gov/planning/icarp/resilient-ca.html

Linda Helland, MPH, CPHClimate Change and Health Equity Program

Office of Health Equity

California Department of Public Health

Linda.Helland@cdph.ca.govhttps://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OHE/Pages/CCHEP.aspx

Thank you!

Analyze

Educate

Advocate

Implement

ID key actors & their work

◦ Researchers (i.e IPCC & university scientists)

◦ Policy-makers at global, national, & local levels

◦ Advocacy groups & non-profits

Ask, are PWD considered? How & how not?

◦ Detail: “vulnerable group” v. specific disabilities

How will PWD be impacted by CC? How can policies & actions change the impact?

◦ Decide level of detail to address

◦ Who to involve in policy? Collaborate!

Primary & secondary climate impacts, i.e…◦ Storms: disaster relief & recovery (DRR)

◦ Heat waves: access to A/C or cooling centers

◦ Long-term migration/relocation

Accessible housing, infrastructure, & transportation

Stable support systems in transit & at new homes

Regional differences◦ Major climate impacts: primary & secondary

◦ Development levels & adaptation capacity

◦ Politics, agencies, & disability organizations

Needs re: social & personal education

Create publications & media

◦ Detailed research & policy papers

◦ Articles, op-eds, & videos

◦ Develop media strategies

Contact key stakeholders

◦ Explain the issues & solutions

◦ Collaborate on more research

Seek out many groups (disability, environmental justice, human rights)

Get a range of partners, speak their language◦ Disability rights: inclusion, independence,

“Nothing about us without us!”◦ Public health: harm prevention, well-being◦ Environmental justice: equality, responsibility

Push gov’t & int’l organizations◦ Break down by focus, location, agency, etc◦ Adaptation plans: general & disability-specific◦ Large reports, i.e. IPCC◦ Ensure impacts on PWD are specifically noted

Address all actions at all levels

Work with stakeholders system-wide

Stay involved in policy & actions

Record efforts & develop best practices

Expand networks, allies & messages

Disability reforms are beneficial regardless Access & resiliency are vital, but especially in a

tumultuous world

Climate prep provides another strong argument

Disability highlights theneed for climate prep

Connect & coordinate Brainstorm policy

Combine messages

Advocate together

If people migrate to our city, we should make it

accessible for all

Oregon Live

How do we face harsh reality and still find hope & motivation to work toward both mitigation and adaptation?

“Giving up” feelings are understandable.

Mustn’t submit to denial!

What are your ideas on how we can face the facts and stay active and hopeful for the planet and all living beings?

Think About:

• Your interests

• Your expertise

• Your organization

• Your connections

• Your capacity for

change

Then Start:

• Educate yourself

• Prepare

• Spread the word

• Strategize

• Organize

• Advocate

World Institute on Disability

New Earth Disability

www.wid.org/ned

Alex Ghenis – Policy and Research Specialist

alex@wid.org

(510)225-6323