Study reveals ways to involve visually impaired people in disaster prevention

According to the most recent reportofthe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), nearly half of the world’s population, 3.3 billion to 3.6 billion people, live in areas that are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This vulnerability is exacerbated by social inequality.

Brazilian researchers affiliated with the Federal University of Mato Grosso and National Disaster Surveillance and Early Warning Center, (CEMADEN), conducted a qualitative exploratory qualitative study focusing primarily upon visually impaired people to investigate the impact of inequality on disaster prevention programs and reduction of environmental risk.

The researchers began by asking how to include the visually impaired into discussions about climate change mitigation and risk reduction policies. They concluded that, despite legal advancements, many barriers continue to prevent social participation in many areas, including decision-making. These obstacles only increase the dependency of the visually impaired, and perpetuate their “invisibility.”

“People with disabilities, and organizations that work with them, aren’t sufficiently included in discussions of environmental policies. Institutions involved in environmental management are not able to think of how to make spaces and forms for them. Their invisibility makes it difficult to even find data on the subject. They haven’t been involved with action to prevent climate change and adapt to it. “We hope that this study can somehow educate institutions about the need for more inclusive policies,” Sociologist Victor Marchezinisays. Marchezini is a researcher from CEMADEN and co-author of the article published in theInternational Journal of Disaster Risk Science.

“Learning about environmental disaster risks taught me how important it was to listen to them.” Participating in the process will allow for the formulation of public policy to take a different route to becoming more inclusive.” Gomes is currently working with the Mato Grosso State Institute for the Blind, one of three organizations that participated in the study which began in 2017. The state’s Center to Support the Inclusion of Special Education, (CASIES), and AMC were the other two.

Participatory methodology

Three institutions that work with visually impaired people in Cuiab (the capital of Mato Grosso state) were contacted by the researchers to obtain data on their locations and movements around the city to determine if they were at risk from floods and landslides.

Cuiab, home to approximately 623,000 people, is facing infrastructure problems as a result of its expansion into the environment protection zones. Many poor familiesLive in informal settlementsFloodplains along Cuiab River and its tributaries, without sanitation, garbage collection, or other essential services.

The researchers used the data collected from the institutions and maps of high-risk areas provided by the city’s civil defense center and the national geological service (CPRM) to createmapsgeoreferencing the homes and places most frequented by 21 visually impaired people living in Cuiab and seven in Vrzea Grande, a municipality in the metropolitan area.

Gomes conducted informal conversations in the three institutions as well as participatory observations. In addition, 15 interviews were conducted at ICEMAT with visually impaired people, asking questions about climate change and disaster hazards. Interviews also discussed how difficult it is for the visually impaired in avoiding or coping with obstacles in the event that flooding, landslides or other environmental disasters occur.

“When my children don’t come with me or go at their father’s, I don’t go out at all,” a partially sighted woman of 48 years said.

“Day and nights, we try our best to be with other people. []Most people will be at work or school if there is an emergency. […]If there is a fire, the alarm goes off and we all walk side-by-side outside. []I don’t see how to make something special for the visually impaired but I hope it can,” a 50-year old partially sighted man stated.

In 2018, about 100 people attended a workshop, 60 of which were visually impaired. During the event, the creation of a smartphone app to assist visually impaired people in finding information was discussed.

Another proposal led us to create a tactile mapping of high-risk areas. In collaboration with CASIES technicians and Braille specialists, we created a system using raised dots that represent letters, characters and symbols.

The main outputs of the study were: (1) a map method showing where visually impaired are most at risk from flooding and landslides. This was used to create tactile risk maps that meet their needs. (2) their views about their vulnerability and capabilities. Climate change and its impact(3) An inclusive education initiative to overcome the barriers that increase vulnerability.

Public policy

According to the most recent census, almost 46 million Brazilians (24 percent of the population) reported that they had difficulty with at least one of the four basic skills (seeing and hearing, walking and climbing stairs), or had a mental and intellectual disability. 18.8% of those who participated in the survey said they were visually impaired.

However, this contingent isn’t highlighted among the 8.2million Brazilians living in 2,471households in high-risk regions. For disaster mitigation, disaggregated data is important.

Brazil’s National Civil Defense Policy (PNPDEC Law 12,608/2012) requires that the national civil defense council “propose ways to meet the needs of children and pregnant women in disaster situations.”

“I try every day, through education, to provoke so that these individuals are included in surveys. public policy formulation,” Gomes said. “On the other side, they still wait for results and inclusion. It is important to recognize that certain people are more affected than others in high-risk situations that can affect everyone. They need to talk about how they are affected.

Researchers stress the importance of people with visual impairments participating in contingency planning, drills and evacuation exercises to increase preparedness.

Gomes stated that he would like the research to be more extensive and that these issues should be part of the school’s curriculum to ensure that people are better prepared.