Inclusive Rescue: People With Disabilities Also Fight for Climate Justice

This collab story, authored by Micael Olegário, was first published by Inclusive News and translated from Portuguese.

“No One Gets Left Behind.”

The Inclusive Rescue Project (PRI), founded by sociologist Marta Almeida Gil, advocates for climate justice for people with disabilities. PRI arose after Marta observed insufficient information and news coverage about people with disabilities during the 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul. “No one knew how to rescue people with disabilities,” she says, citing the lack of accessibility and inclusive emergency protocols.

Mariana Rosa directly experienced gaps in disaster guidelines for people with disabilities. She works at the Association for Care and Assistance of Mentally Disabled People in Porto Belo (Adempobel), which sheltered people with disabilities in Canoas, Porto Alegre’s metropolitan area. Of its 15 houses, each for 10 people, only one avoided flood damage.  

“Many boats stopped to try to help, but they said they didn’t know how to rescue wheelchair users or those with reduced mobility. So, they ended up waiting for many more hours,” recalls Mariana.

One goal of the Inclusive Rescue Project is to develop protocols and train professionals in Civil Defense, fire departments, health departments, and other public agencies. The initiative focuses on three fronts: prevention, preparedness, and post-rescue, aiming to improve responses in extreme situations and accessibility before disasters, including communication and climate risk warnings.

The PRI was officially launched in September by the Amankay Institute for Studies and Research, an NGO dedicated to producing information on disability and social inclusion. The initiative has the support of UN-Habitat, a United Nations program focused on promoting urban planning that considers socio-environmental and climate aspects.

We know being Black, poor, and disabled disproportionately weighs. We have to change that, because lives matter.

Thais Pessanha – Writer and supporter of PRI

There is little research and data on the impact of climate change on people with disabilities. However, available evidence and recent cases suggest this group experiences more severe consequences during extreme weather events. According to an estimate by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), people with disabilities are between two and four times more likely than people without disabilities to die during disasters and emergencies.

A recent study in PLOS Global Public Health examined the effects of global warming on disabled people’s access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. These people face more barriers during droughts and floods due to social inequality, structural poverty, and a lack of accessible infrastructure. Disability and accessibility issues rarely appear in climate adaptation debates.

Barriers in Shelters

Beyond rescue challenges, the Rio Grande do Sul disaster exposed exclusionary shelter practices for immigrants, women, children, and people with disabilities. Rosângela Oliveira, 61, contracted polio at age 2 and uses a wheelchair. In May 2024, she lived in Mathias Velho, Canoas, an area hit hard by flooding. “It was complicated, and people in wheelchairs slept on the floor,” she says of those forced from their homes.

Rosângela left before her house flooded and stayed at an Acadef shelter with accessible bathrooms. Afterward, she delivered emergency aid to others. “It hurts to see people sitting, waiting for someone to bring food or help them change and shower,” she says, describing loss of autonomy and dignity amid disaster and lack of accessibility.

Mariana Rosa recounts similar issues for people served by Adempobel. “We stayed in schools but were asked to leave because people couldn’t handle autistic and other disabled residents,” she says. The association rented another shelter, resulting in losses of nearly R$500,000. It later secured a Pronampe loan.

Despite problems and delays, all 150 Adempobel residents were rescued, but four died after complications. “We rescued everyone, but some needed hospitalization from contaminated water exposure. We lost four residents weeks after the flood.” Adempobel was aided by a solidarity effort led by a disabled person.

Mobilization and Support Network

Thais Pessanha, writer and Jabuti Prize finalist for “Bird Bones Reading Club,” mobilized a network to support disabled people affected by the southern rains. Born with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), Thais learned of Adempobel’s plight via Mariana’s video online.

Thais raised funds to buy mattresses in Goiás, sending them to Rio Grande do Sul, and made further donations. “I contacted the army with Mariana’s needs, and they agreed to deliver, even by boat or helicopter,” she recalls.

Thais later joined the Inclusive Rescue Project. She stresses its importance, especially for addressing lingering impacts from tragedies worsened by social inequalities. “When someone is Black, poor, and disabled, it weighs disproportionately. We must fight for change, because lives matter.”

Currently, PRI is in an initial phase, focusing on communication and outreach to garner support and funding. “What we want is for this project to gain significant visibility so that it can secure the necessary support to be implemented, because it’s no use just applauding that it’s a beautiful project,” emphasizes Thais.

Marta Almeida Gil looks for examples worldwide. “I received material from Florida, where hurricanes are annual. They have public policies and shelters with accessibility for disabled people,” she says. She also cites a Uruguayan sign language glossary of terms related to climate change and disasters, which guides deaf people.

Reconstruction and Accessibility

An inclusive policy also requires documents and alerts to be written in simple language. Accessibility must be planned in city reconstruction. Rosângela Oliveira criticizes current efforts, from sidewalks to public transport, in Porto Alegre’s metropolitan area.

Rosângela attributes the issue to ableism and the belief that disabilities restrict mobility. “I have the right to go anywhere. At the Gasometer, renovations added bars but never mentioned adapted bathrooms,” she says, referencing plans for the old power plant’s cultural center.​

Mariana Rosa notes Adempobel’s independent work creating disaster protocols. “These situations will repeat, and these people are at greater risk of not being rescued,” she says.

In the Rio Grande Plan, created by the government of Rio Grande do Sul for the reconstruction of the state, accessibility appears in some projects, such as the construction of a Network of Multipurpose Gymnasiums for Humanitarian Support and the renovation of the Porto Alegre bus station. However, there is still no specific data on the impacts of the floods on people with disabilities, nor is there information on their effective participation in the development of state reconstruction policies.

Cover Image: Shelters lacking accessibility infrastructure worsen the impact of disasters on people with disabilities; mattresses in a gymnasium in Porto Alegre during the floods in Rio Grande do Sul (Photo: Pedro Piegas/Porto Alegre City Hall)