title: Advancing Equity: Principles for Climate-Resilient Disability Inclusive WASH
Creators: name: Wilbur, J
name: Ruuska, Doug
name: Diba, SA
name: Ul Alam, M
name: Upoma, TA
name: Akter, J
name: Nawaz, S
Publisher: name: World Vision
Year: 2025

description: Introduction:

Access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is crucial for health, but billions lack access. People with disabilities face additional barriers, leading to poorer health outcomes. Climate change exacerbates these challenges by disrupting water availability, sanitation infrastructure, and hygiene practices, forcing people to adopt harmful coping strategies. Most climate action strategies fail to address the specific needs of people with disabilities. Establishing operational guidance about strengthening disability inclusion in climate-resilient WASH is essential to begin addressing these gaps. 

Our study:

The Inclusive Pathways Towards Climate-Resilient WASH study, led by the London School of Hygiene &amp; Tropical Medicine in partnership with icddr,b and World Vision, investigated the effects of climate hazards on WASH access for people with disabilities in Bangladesh. Using mixed methods, a literature review, and participatory workshops, the team co-developed principles for climate-resilient disability inclusive WASH.

Building the evidence: 

Our scoping review investigated climate change impacts on WASH services in low and middle-income countries, focusing on disability inclusion. Findings revealed that WASH services are highly vulnerable to climate-related disruptions, affecting health and well-being. Notably, there is a significant lack of evidence on the specific impacts on people with disabilities, highlighting an urgent need for targeted research in this area. Our mixed-methods study showed that extreme weather in Bangladesh has severely disrupted WASH services, disproportionately affecting people with disabilities. Damage to 30% of water points and 13% of latrines left nearly half of people with disabilities affected unable to access alternatives. Many altered routines to reduce toilet use, with safety, privacy, and physical challenges as significant concerns. Incontinence and mobility issues further exacerbated their vulnerability. Hygiene was also compromised: restricted access to tube wells forced people to wash in polluted floodwater, worsening health risks. Limited disaster relief, inaccessible shelters, and a lack of communal preparedness compounded these issues. Comprehensive, climate-resilient disability services and disaster relief are essential for safety, dignity, and health.

The principles: how they were developed, what they are and how to use them: 

Participatory workshops in Gaibandha and Satkhira engaged people with disabilities, caregivers, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, and World Vision staff to validate findings and co-develop recommendations for inclusive, climate-resilient WASH. Six principles and suggested activities were co-developed with sector experts, building on these recommendations and existing frameworks.

These principles are designed for practitioners working in WASH, disability, and climate resilience. They prioritise the meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities and their caregivers, grounded in human rights principles such as participation, affordability, and protection from harm. The six principles and suggested activities provide a blueprint for enhancing disability inclusion in existing climate-resilient WASH efforts. While the activities are not prescriptive, practitioners should select those relevant to their context and create additional ones as needed.

This report provides research findings and presents the co-developed principles, explaining their purpose and how to use them.