A Behaviour Analytic Approach to an Inclusive Disaster Relief Response with Natali Wachtman Perilo
Dr. Wachtman Perilo’s presentation was a rare glimpse into the role behaviour analysts could play in supporting disaster relief efforts as she shared from her experiences working with the World Institute on Disability (WID). Disasters come in all shapes and sizes; some are avoidable others are not, but when disaster strikes those with disabilities equipped for safety, resilience, and self-determination?
An inclusive response matters in times of crisis as people with disabilities are disproportionately affected throughout the planning, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts during emergencies and disasters. The unfortunate reality is that people with disabilities are 2-4 times more likely than people without disabilities to die or to be injured in emergencies and disasters. For example, the UN reported that 2.7 million disabled Ukrainians were left behind and without access to: emergency information, decision-making opportunities, evacuations, accessible shelters, deinstitutionalized care, and inclusive humanitarian aid-access to disability services, food, and durable medical equipment.
The solution, as per WID, a behavior analytic whole community inclusive approach to emergency management addresses: proactive participation in preparedness planning, evaluation of current processes and mitigation, and shifting behavior contingencies at the individual, process, cultural levels. Behavior analysts have the technology to foster shifts in contingencies and emergency models from charity to empowerment by providing equitable access to information, resources, and opportunity. Additionally, behavior analysts can re-design the environment-setting events and antecedents to give historically marginalized people equitable opportunities to contribute to preparedness. This requires all interested parties coming together and collectively organizing, strengthening, and leveraging their assets, capabilities, interests, and values to this committed action.
