UCL Discovery

Abstract

Many agencies working on disaster risk reduction use vulnerability and capacity assessment (VCA) to identify vulnerable groups, assess their needs and capacities, and develop appropriate programmes and policies. In theory, VCA offers a good opportunity to incorporate disabled people’s needs and resources into counter-disaster programming. This paper seeks to establish and explain the extent to which disability is included in VCA in practice. It reviews VCA reports and findings, formal VCA guidance and other methodological literature. The review indicates that disability is a neglected issue in VCA practice and that manuals and guidelines, whilst promoting the general ideal of inclusiveness, are insufficiently aware of the challenges to achieving this in practice and do not give enough guidance on how to reach and include disabled people. Ways of overcoming these problems are suggested. However, the real challenge may be to change core attitudes and perceptions of disability within implementing organisations.