IDPs with disabilities

This research area seeks to better understand the unique risks, challenges and intersecting barriers people with disabilities face during displacement and identify ways forward for more disability-inclusive planning and responses to displacement.

People with disabilities are among those most at risk in conflict and disaster settings and most severely affected by the adverse impacts of climate change. Despite having unique needs, IDPs with disabilities often face barriers accessing livelihoods, housing, healthcare, education and humanitarian assistance. It is estimated that about a billion people, or 15 per cent of the world’s population, have a disability. Data on the prevalence and experiences of IDPs with disabilities, however, is still widely lacking. Such information is crucial to informing targeted and inclusive interventions. It is also critical to ensuring people with disabilities actively participate in decision-making on displacement.

As a first step, IDMC has collected primary data on the socioeconomic impacts of displacement on IDPs with disabilities in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Somalia. Similar assessments are being conducted in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region. IDMC has also produced a joint factsheet on the intersection of disability, displacement and climate change, and analysed the impacts of displacement on people with disabilities in Europe and Central Asia.

The objective of this research area is to generate evidence on the prevalence of disabilities amongst displaced populations, their diverse needs during displacement, and the intersecting barriers they face in achieving durable solutions. By highlighting examples of tools and promising practices it also aims to guide policymakers and aid providers to collect better data on IDPs with disabilities and foster more disability-inclusive approaches to internal displacement.