Under Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Australia is
obligated to “take, in accordance with their obligations under international law […] all
necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in
situations of risk, including […] the occurrence of natural disasters.” During the Black
Summer bushfires and COVID-19 crisis, women with disabilities in the ACT have felt
neglected, unsafe and ill-informed. Improvements must be made to both protect people with disabilities from disasters themselves through evacuation protocols, personal protective equipment and other disaster mitigation activities; and also to protect people with disabilities from the increased incidence of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation that occurs due to isolation and loss of oversight during disasters.
As stated on the Disability Royal Commission website, “Neglect can be […] a systemic issue that involves depriving a person with disability of the basic necessities of life such as food, drink, shelter, access, mobility, clothing, education, medical care and treatment.” Based on this definition, it is possible to consider the systemic failings of government to support people with disabilities to maintain access to basic essential services during disasters has been neglectful. As the COVID-19 crisis has gone on, improvements have been made, however the timeliness and appropriateness of these responses has still left women with disabilities feeling that the “responsibility has fallen on us”. In order to fully understand the scope of the impact of COVID-19 on women with disabilities in the ACT, WWDACT brought on a project officer to carry out a survey and interviews of women and non-binary people with disabilities in order to understand their experience of the crisis.
You can read our full submission below.