Urgency of Universally Accessible Early Warning and Action Systems
In the Headlines —
Trigger Warning: — “A Man At Bedside Of Son, A Woman Who Stayed Behind With Pets Among LA Wildfire Victims”
Excerpt from the News Article: — “Anthony Mitchell, an amputee who used a wheelchair, and his adult son Justin, who had cerebral palsy, died together in their Altadena home. Mr Mitchell last spoke to his daughter on the morning of the fire, detailing plans to evacuate. However, both were found dead later by Justin’s bedside. “He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,” the daughter told The NY Post.”
{NDTV World | 14th January 2025} [https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/los-angeles-wildfires-a-man-at-bedside-of-son-a-woman-who-stayed-behind-with-pets-among-la-blaze-victims-7461901]
Note: Language(s) and content(s) used as in the news article and any unintentional and unknowing error(s) or omission(s) is deeply regretted.
Contextual Background —
It’s high time such news agitates our collective consciousness and we become unwilling to compromise on our freedom (right to life with dignity) and fundamental human rights (right to accessibility). These incidents highlight the urgent need for disability-led and inclusive climate action and disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction (DiDRR) as well as universally accessible early warning, action, and emergency response systems.
In the Indian context, there’s an alarming need for the effective implementation of the Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) Guidelines 2019; Section 8 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (equal protection and safety in situations of risk, armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters); and Article 11 of the UNCRPD (Situations of Risk and Humanitarian Emergencies).
Universally Accessible Early Warning and Action Systems
Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC)’s initiative of ‘Free of Cost Online Interpreting Services / Video Relay Service (VRS)’ (launched in July 2023) to meet the requirements of the deaf community in emergency situations through WhatsApp video call facility, must extend its scope and function in integration with Sachet National Disaster Alert Portal & Mobile App that provides alerts in a geo-targeted manner in multiple languages across all media simultaneously for all-natural and human-induced disasters to ensure Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) and Disability-led and inclusive Climate Action. [https://x.com/thesangyan/status/1684850109320962048]
The ‘Charter of Demands: Call to Action for Disability Justice’ also seeks —
Periodic National Disability Census and Real-Time Tracker Dashboard for Disaggregated Data; Formation of National Mission on Climate Change and Vulnerable Communities under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), 2008; and Climate Resilient and Universally Accessible Housing under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. [https://chng.it/q5FVYJQRzP]
Moreover, the ‘Manifesto: For and By Citizens with Disabilities’ curated by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and envisioned by the National Disability Network (NDN) and the National Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (NCRPD), demanded —
“We will form a dedicated National Mission on Climate Change for Vulnerable Communities, including people with disabilities under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), 2008 for umbrella protection.” AND “We will ensure District Disaster Management Authority undertakes real-time disaggregated data collection for persons with disabilities across all districts in India in accordance with Section 8 of the RPwD Act 2016.” [https://ncpedp.org/reports-publications/]
Post in Collaboration — Poornamidam X The Sangyan (द संज्ञान)
Authored by —
Adv. Abhishek Kumar, Founder and Curator — The Sangyan
Ar. Kavya Poornima Balajepalli, Founder and Curator — Poornamidam
Cover Page —
Visual/Image Description [Alt Text]: A poster with a paper-textured white background features the logos of The Sangyan, Build Forward Better Campaign, and Poornamidam, along with their mottos centred on the page. QR codes for both initiatives are placed on either side. The title reads, “Urgency of Universally Accessible Early Warning & Action Systems”, followed by a screenshot of an NDTV World article titled “A Man At Bedside Of Son, A Woman Who Stayed Behind With Pets Among LA Wildfire Victims”. The article includes a photo showing the destruction caused by the LA Wildfire.
The body text reads: “Anthony Mitchell, an amputee who used a wheelchair, and his adult son Justin, who had cerebral palsy, died together in their Altadena home. Mr Mitchell last spoke to his daughter on the morning of the fire, detailing plans to evacuate. However, both were found dead later by Justin’s bedside. “He was not going to leave his son behind. No matter what,” the daughter told The NY Post.” [NDTV | 14th of January 2025].
At the bottom, there’s a customized infinity symbol representing the convergence of inclusion and sustainability (climate resilience and universal accessibility), along with a QR code linking to the Change.org petition for endorsing the ‘Charter of Demands: Call to Action for Disability Justice’. The poster also includes hashtags #BuildForwardBetter #UnitedInAction and #WeAllBelong at the extreme bottom.
Hashtags —
#PrakritiRakshatiRakshitah #BuildForwardBetter #WeAllBelong #BhuleTohNahi #WhatsYourPlan #InkForInclusion #CharterOfDeamnds #CallToAction #LeaveNoOneBehind #NothingWithoutUs #Wildfire #MakingRightsReal #Sustainability #UniversalAccessibility #Accessibility #UniversalDesign #AccessibilityIsFreedom #ActNow #Disability #DisabilityJustice #DisabilityLedClimateAction #InclusiveClimateAction #DIDRR #SDGs #DisasterRiskReduction #GlobalGoals #ThreatMultiplier #Disaster #SustainableDevelopment #EarlyWarningSystem #SignLanguage
