Together with Inclusion Scotland and the Sensing Climate Project, we are working to make climate emergency planning more disability-inclusive. Read a summary of the work so far.
Foreword
by Maia Pace, Policy and Research Officer, Inclusion Scotland
Climate change is rapidly shaping daily life across Scotland, from health and social support to town planning. With extreme heat events, storms and flooding becoming more frequent, it’s more important than ever to plan inclusively for the future. These events do not affect everyone equally. Disabled people are at a significantly higher risk during climate related emergencies, yet our needs are often overlooked in emergency planning.
On Tuesday, 4 November, Inclusion Scotland, the Sensing Climate Project and the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland brought disabled people together in Edinburgh to discuss this injustice and to explore what disability-inclusive climate emergency planning should look like.
The workshop created an accessible space for disabled people to share our expertise and to influence an ongoing review of Scotland’s climate and emergency planning policies. It also built on commitments made in the 2025 Disability Equality Plan, which calls for emergency planning that is appropriate, accessible and timely during times of crisis. Through thoughtful discussion both in person and online, participants highlighted the practical, social and structural changes needed to create a safer and more equitable future.
Two event participants – Elaine Paterson and Fin Tams-Grey – have written the following blog to reflect on the day and what they heard in the workshops. We welcome this blog as we continue to have an influence in this crucial area.
Workshop on disability-inclusive emergency planning
by Elaine Paterson and Fin Tams-Grey
There is no doubt that climate change related hazards – such as heatwaves, storms and floods – are on the rise, and the effects are already being seen across Scotland.[1][2] Disabled people are two to four times more likely to be injured or die from climate related hazards than those without disabilities.[3] Therefore, there is a clear need for Scotland to combat this climate injustice by planning and preparing for these adverse events now.
On the 4th November, Inclusion Scotland, the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) and the Sensing Climate project joined together in Edinburgh to run a workshop on disability inclusive climate emergency planning in Scotland. The workshop was to understand the lived experiences of disabled people to inform a literature review on Scotland’s climate and emergency planning policies. You can read the summary of the report and the easy read version.
In the 2025 Disability Equality Plan, the Scottish Government outlined the need to ensure that emergency planning is appropriate, accessible and timely for disabled people in times of crisis. This workshop was a key step for the disabled community to get together, both in person and online, to discuss their views on this topic and help to influence the Scottish Government’s climate and emergency planning policies going forward.
During the workshop, we were divided into breakout groups and asked the following questions:
- It is 20 years into the future and there is a flood in your area. You and your loved ones are safe. How have your needs been met to keep you safe?
- What can people in charge of emergency planning learn from you as a disabled person?
- Would you be interested in being involved in a network of disabled climate activists? If so, what would you want to see from this network?
Throughout the day there were incredibly interesting discussions around these questions. It was unanimously agreed that emergency planning should focus on the resilience disabled people demonstrate on a daily basis to create a personalised and well networked emergency action plans, which address the specific needs of the disabled person and their carers during times of crisis.
Examples of appropriate plans include ensuring an accessible evacuation strategy; creating a centralised and networked register for emergency services (including disabled people’s organisations, charities, the army and 999 services); prioritising reconnection of power during events and finding suitable alternative accommodation when relocation is required. Our conversations also highlighted that a return home after an evacuation should be safe and fit for purpose.
There was great interest in the creation of a network of disabled activists, and the event organisers are keen to hear from anybody interested in getting involved.
As University of Dundee PhD Researchers in Augmentative and Alternative Communication futures (Fin) and designing equitable resilience adaptations for disabled and elderly people (Elaine), we found this event extremely exciting. The views of attendees reflected current research – that meaningful change should be defined and led by the individuals who it will impact. It was fantastic to network with the event organisers and attendees to further our understanding in this important area.
With many thanks to the event organisers for an excellent day and to the other attendees for their open and honest conversations. We can only hope that these conversations continue and expand to include more disabled people from various walks of life across Scotland.
If you are interested in this topic, then please do reach out to the organisers and let us work together to prepare for a more equitable future for disabled people.
We – Elaine and Fin – are part of the Dundee University-based Leverhulme Doctoral Centre for Regenerative Innovation, which is an “active group of research students from different fields, working together across multiple disciplines to develop new regenerative theories and practice to help build a better future for the planet”. Both of us are seeking mentors to guide and support us through our research, as well as participants for workshops and research groups, so please do get in touch if you would like to find out more about either of our projects.
For more about our research, please get in touch: REGNR8-I PhD Scholarship Programme. Fin Tams-Gray: 180012695@dundee.ac.uk, Elaine Paterson: 2704987@dundee.ac.uk.
Network for climate action
If you are a disabled person interested in joining a network for climate action, please get in touch:
Maia Pace – Policy and Research Officer, Inclusion Scotland: info@inclusionscotland.org.
References
[1] Audit Scotland (2025) Flooding in communities: Moving towards flood resilience
[2] Adaptation Scotland (website accessed 20 November 2025) Scotland and climate change
[3] Harvard University (2025) Disability in a time of climate disaster
