Climate related hazards such as floods, storms, extreme heat and landslides can deepen existing inequalities for people with disabilities by turning inaccessible infrastructure, communication systems and emergency services into additional barriers a new study from Kerala has found.
The study published in Global Environmental Change examined how people with disabilities experience and respond to climate change. Researchers conducted 72 semi structured interviews with people with disabilities, caregivers and institutional stakeholders between February 2023 and June 2024.
The findings show that climate vulnerability is shaped not simply by disability but by physical, social, economic and institutional barriers. These include inaccessible early warning systems, evacuation routes and shelters, limited access to healthcare and assistive devices, inadequate housing, poverty and discrimination.
Warning systems often fail to reach everyone
Communication emerged as a major concern. Emergency warnings are effective only when people can receive, understand and act on them, the study found.
Warnings delivered only through sound can leave deaf people without critical information, while systems relying solely on visual communication can create barriers for people with visual impairments.
The study also identified gaps in information about where people with disabilities live and what assistance they may require during emergencies.
Similar challenges have been reported in Sierra Leone, where around 9.3 per cent of the population lives with a disability, according to the country’s 2021 Population and Housing Census.
Brima Abdulai Sheriff, chairperson and chief commissioner of Sierra Leone’s National Commission for Persons with Disability, said environmental hazards can interact with existing physical, communication, institutional and economic barriers to multiply risks.
He called for emergency warnings to be delivered through multiple channels, including sign language, text alerts, audio, radio, television, SMS, social media, community networks and face to face communication.
“Accessibility should be tested by the people who will actually use the system,” Sheriff said.
Evacuation and shelters create further barriers
The Kerala research found that inaccessible evacuation routes transportation and emergency shelters can make disaster response more difficult. Responders may also lack training to safely evacuate people with disabilities while protecting their assistive devices.
A shelter may have an accessible entrance but remain unsuitable if toilets are inaccessible, medication cannot be secured, personal assistance is unavailable or assistive devices cannot be accommodated, Sheriff said.
The objective, he argued, should go beyond simply evacuating people with disabilities to ensuring their safety, dignity, independence and access to essential services throughout an emergency.
Economic conditions can further increase vulnerability. The study found that poverty affected participants’ ability to access transportation, food, healthcare, care services and assistive devices.
Lessons extend beyond Kerala
Researchers and experts said the findings have relevance beyond India, although Kerala cannot be treated as representative of all countries.
Francis Darko, a researcher at Flinders University’s College of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences, said the study was significant because it showed how vulnerability is produced by inaccessible infrastructure, inadequate services, exclusion from decision making and discriminatory attitudes.
He cautioned that countries with weaker disability and disaster management systems could face even greater challenges.
In Sierra Leone, similar concerns have emerged around floods and landslides. A 2025 study involving young people with disabilities found that inaccessible public information, evacuation routes and emergency assistance could hinder evacuation and increase health, livelihood and mental health risks.
Flooding in Freetown on August 3, 2026, also illustrated the challenges. Abubakarr Sesay, a 39-year-old person with a disability, told Mongabay that moving to safety during the flooding was difficult because he required assistance to move.
People with disabilities also build resilience
The Kerala study found that people with disabilities were not only vulnerable to disasters but were also developing their own ways of adapting and supporting one another.
Participants used mobile phones and social media to access and share information, exchanged knowledge about disability specific rescue techniques and relied on family members, friends and neighbours during emergencies.
Researchers said these forms of community support demonstrate the agency and resilience of people with disabilities and should be incorporated into disaster planning.
Experts stressed that people with disabilities should be involved from the beginning in designing climate adaptation and disaster-risk reduction measures.
The principle of “nothing about us without us” should extend to risk mapping, preparedness planning, early warning systems, emergency response and post disaster assessments, Sheriff said.
The researchers called for universal design, in which accessibility is incorporated into systems and infrastructure from the outset rather than added later.
They also recommended accessible evacuation routes and shelters, multi channel warning systems, specialised training for emergency responders, disability disaggregated data and reliable access to essential supplies such as assistive devices and medication.
As climate hazards intensify, researchers argue that disaster resilience cannot be considered complete unless the systems designed to protect communities also account for the needs, knowledge and participation of people with disabilities.