Emergency and disaster preparedness among children and youth with disabilities and chronic conditions, their caregivers and service providers: a scoping review

Abstract

Purpose

People with disabilities, especially children and youth, are often not considered in emergency and disaster preparedness planning, which leaves them vulnerable and at a higher risk of the negative effects of natural and human caused disasters. The purpose of this study was to understand the extent of emergency and disaster preparedness and factors influencing preparedness among children and youth with disabilities and chronic conditions, their caregivers and service providers.

Methods

Our scoping review involved searching six international databases that identified 1146 studies of which 27 met our inclusion criteria.

Results

The studies in this review involved 2613 participants (i.e., children, parents, educators and clinicians) across nine countries over a 20-year period. Our results highlighted the following trends: (1) the extent of emergency preparedness; (2) factors affecting emergency preparedness; and (3) interventions to enhance preparedness.

Conclusions

Our findings underscore the critical need for more attention to emergency preparedness for children and youth with disabilities, their families and service providers and their inclusion in planning.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Support is needed for emergency preparedness for children with disabilities at an individual, family and community level.

• Clinicians should assist children with disabilities and their families to develop a disaster and emergency preparedness plan that includes their medical needs, basic supplies and connections to relevant resources and supports.

• Clinicians and educators should advocate for the inclusion of children and youth with disabilities in emergency and disaster preparedness.

Keywords:

• Children
• disaster
• emergency preparedness
• resilience
• vulnerability

Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land. The authors thank the TRAIL lab staff for their support in this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.