Children with disabilities are often excluded from disaster risk reduction (DRR) initiatives and, as a result, can experience amplified physical, psychological, and educational vulnerabilities. Research on children with disabilities during disasters is lacking, and their potential value in helping shape inclusive policies in DRR planning has been largely overlooked by both researchers and policymakers. This article highlights the existing research and knowledge gap. The review includes literature from two areas of scholarship in relation to disasters-children, and people with disabilities-and provides a critique of the prevailing medical, economic, and social discourses that conceptualize disability and associated implications for DRR. The article analyzes the different models in which disability has been conceptualized, and the role this has played in the inclusion or exclusion of children with disabilities in DRR activities and in determining access to necessary resources in the face of disaster. Finally, the study explores possible pathways to studying the contribution and involvement of children with disabilities in DRR.

An estimated seven million children with disabilities worldwide are affected by disasters annually. This significant figure emphasises the particular vulnerability of these children in facing natural hazards. However, their needs as well as their capacity and role in disaster risk reduction have largely been overlooked by researchers and policymakers. This paper draws on a case study in Christchurch to identify insights, realities, possibilities and obstacles in relation to the involvement in disaster preparedness of children with diverse disabilities. It reports on findings from focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with children who have disabilities, their teachers and caregivers to explore children's preparedness and potential responses to a disaster. The findings indicate a considerable variation in how children with disabilities access available resources and perceive, face and cope with natural hazards. This paper shows their potential contribution to disaster preparedness and provides further suggestions for policy and practice.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use an inclusive lens to explore pathways and considers, through the voices of children and adult participants, the complexities in implementing effective disaster risk reduction (DRR) in schools comprising children with disabilities. It identifies obstacles and suggests policy recommendations that consider their needs in DRR. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on a case study of two schools supporting children with disabilities in the New Zealand regions of Hawke’s Bay and Auckland, each with differing experiences of past natural hazards and disasters. Data from children’s workshop activities, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, workshop photographs, school safety and policy documents were coded in Nvivo software to categorize data and to identify themes for cross-case analysis and discussion. Findings The research reveals three key pathways that schools can take in promoting inclusiveness in DRR. They are the provision of safe and accessible school building designs and facilities, avenues for children’s involvement and leadership in DRR initiatives, and in decision-making processes. Schools also offer opportunities for a collaborative effort towards inclusiveness in DRR within the school and with other stakeholders. Research limitations/implications Based on the findings, the paper suggests four broad policy recommendations for consideration towards strengthening the role of schools in disability-inclusive DRR. Originality/value The paper contributes to ongoing DRR efforts and adds new information to the disaster literature on the role of schools in disability-inclusive DRR.

Every year, worldwide, disasters affect approximately seven million children with disabilities, highlighting their potential vulnerability. Although there is a growing move internationally to promote the rights of children with disabilities, they still receive little attention from disaster risk reduction (DRR) researchers and policy makers. They are often excluded in DRR initiatives and are portrayed as ‘helpless’ in disaster contexts. This policy brief draws on a multiple case study of three schools supporting children with disabilities in three New Zealand regions. Through the voice of both children and adult participants, the study identifies associated gaps and constraints to disability-inclusive DRR. It makes recommendations that acknowledge diversity and ensure that those marginalized can become stakeholders in the DRR process.

Disaster risk reduction (DRR) needs to be inclusive. However, potentially vulnerable groups such as children with disabilities are often excluded. Their perceptions and views are overlooked due to existing structural forms of exclusion and lack of inclusive methods that enable children to effectively contribute to DRR. This paper provides an insight into understanding the complexities of DRR participation among twenty-seven children with disabilities from three case study schools in New Zealand. It explores the notion of ‘participation’ through flexible participatory tools. It involved mapping of safe and unsafe areas of their class and the school during a disaster, and proportional piling activities representing identified potential natural hazards in their region. The approach was able to accommodate and permit a sustained continuum of engagement among children with diverse disabilities, capacities and experiences. Crucially, it offers a bridge that recognizes communication as a two-way process between adults and children, where adults learn how children express their views, thus according them a voice in DRR.