Persons with Disabilities in the Great East Japan Earthquake

Persons with Disabilities in the Great East Japan Earthquake

Kiyoshi Harada, Japan Disability Forum (JDF)[email protected]

Japan DisabilityForum

EXPERIENCESof persons with disabilities in the

Earthquake

How they suffered?


EXPERIENCES of persons with disabilities in the Earthquake

• Very limited time for tsunami evacuation

(extremely difficult for them to evacuate)• Information problems (tsunami

warnings / evacuation orders against radiation didn’t reach hearing impaired people, etc.)

• Insufficient accessibility/reasonable accommodation at shelters, temporary housing, etc.



The mortality rateof persons with disabilities is

DOUBLEcompared to general population

(according to the reports of local governmentsand news companies)


Japan DisabilityForumFrom Kahoku Shimpo News on Sept. 24, 2012

ACTIVITIESof Japanese disabled persons

organizations after the Earthquake

Challenges met and tackled


ACTIVITIES of Japanese DPOs after the Earthquake

• Even local governments seriously damaged

• DPOs quickly established support HQs• Persons with disabilities not found at

evacuation shelters/communities• Collaboration with local

governments/public health care professionals to identify/ respond to the needs of persons with disabilities


Even local governments seriously damaged

• Government staff/professionals lost their lives, health, family members, houses, properties

• Unexpected disaster (once in a thousand years)

• No preparation -- Strategies were not disability-inclusive

• The Fact: Practically no help for persons with disabilities!


Japan DisabilityForumRikuzentakata City Government Building, Iwate

(Tsunami came up to the roof. The mayor was saved on the roof top)

Japan DisabilityForumRikuzentakata City Government Building, Iwate

(A car pushed inside by the tsunami)

Disabled Persons Organizations quickly established support HQs

• Support Headquarters by various disability organizations incl. visual, hearing, intellectual, etc., as well as professional organizations

• Japan Disability Forum (13 organizations) established its HQs on March 18th, one week after the Earthquake

• NGOs’ activities quickly startedJapan DisabilityForum

Japan Disability Forum (JDF)• Established in 2004• 13 national-level nongovernmental

organizations of/for person with disabilities (Almost all range of disability issues)

• Activities for the implementation of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(CRPD) , etc.

• Disaster Support HQs established on March 18, 2011.

• Support Centers in three most affected prefectures, namely, Iwate, Fukushima, Miyagi


Persons with disabilities not found at evacuation shelters/communities

• Tough environment at evacuation shelters, other public facilities for them to stay

(They chose to stay at damaged houses, cars, etc.)• Many of them do not belong to disabled

persons’ organizations/community welfare activities

• Personal Information Protection legislation was often an obstacle in locating persons with needs (Local govt. hesitated to disclose their whereabouts)


Collaboration with local governmentsto identify/respond to the needs of person with disabilities

(examples of JDF activities)• Outreach to individuals with disabilities in

collaboration with local public health staff (who had personal information)

• Minamisoma City, Fukushima, and Rikuzentakata City, Iwate disclosed personal information of persons with disabilities, and requested JDF to make surveys (for urgent help and/or future DRR strategies)

• JDF sent its members to governmental committees on DRR and made proposals for the revision of Basic Act on Disaster Control Measures, and the national guideline on DRR for the vulnerable


ACTIVITIES of Japanese DPOs after the Earthquake

• GO-NGO partnership was necessary• Disabled persons’ organizations served

as helpers• Disabled persons’ organizations actually

participated in strategy makingJapan DisabilityForum

INCLUDEpersons with disabilities

when you make/implement DRR strategies


INCLUDE persons with disabilities in DRR

• Persons with disabilities, with their experiences in emergency situations/everyday lives, can contribute in making/changing strategies

• Persons with disabilities as contributing stakeholders

• Mainstreaming disability is necessary at local, national, regional, global levels Japan

DisabilityForum

DOUBLE mortality rateof persons with disabilities

Japanese society should be reconstructed and revived according to new standards, such as UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

to make a safer SOCIETY FOR ALL


No strategiesNo activities

NO HELP for individual lives

Mainstream disability in global DRR


In order toINCLUDE

“Messages of Life” a documentary film produced by

Japan Disability Forum, andThe Nippon Foundation

For more info, come to Marketplace on May 22. http://www.normanet.ne.jp/~jdf/movie_en/


Documents

Persons with Disabilities in the Great East Japan Earthquake