Join AIDR and the Collaborating4Inclusion project team as we invite expert speakers to explore how government, emergency services, people with disability and the services that support them are working together to put person-centered and capability-focused approaches to DIDRR into action.

Webinar four: DIDRR Framework and Toolkit for Collaborative Action

In 2023 the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) in partnership with the Collaborating4Inclusion Research team at the University of Sydney hosted the Leave Nobody Behind Webinar Series. Each of the three webinars took a deep dive into Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) from different perspectives; emergency services and government, people with disability, and the community services that support people with disability. This was followed by a National DIDRR forum that brought all three perspectives together.

The fourth and final webinar in the series will launch the DIDRR Framework and Toolkit for Collaborative Action which synthesises a decade of research on collaborating for DIDRR development in Australia.

The Framework and Toolkit aim to take disability out of the too-hard basket, by demonstrating and enabling actions that different stakeholders across the disability, community, emergency, and government sectors can take to develop cross-sector DIDRR polices and practice.

Guest speaker

Michelle Villeneuve, Associate Professor & Deputy Director, Centre for Disability Research and Policy, The University of Sydney

Associate Professor Michelle Villeneuve is the Deputy Director at The University of Sydney Impact Centre for Disability Research and Policy. Michelle leads an international program of research that addresses inequities that people with disability experience in everyday living and situations of natural hazard disaster and other emergencies. Michelle is leading the development of Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) in Australia - bringing together health, community, disability and emergency services sectors to establish cross-sector DIDRR policy and practice.

Michelle has over 20 years of experience working in regions of conflict and natural hazard disaster to develop community-led services and re-build opportunities for people with disability, including those acquired by human conflict and natural disaster.

Her partnership research keeps people with disability and their support needs at the centre of development and change.

Webinar host

Margaret Moreton, Executive Director, Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience

Margaret is the Executive Director for AIDR and brings to this role significant experience working in the government, non-government, business and the philanthropy sectors. Her career began in federal government, before she undertook community-based research at the Australian National University that identified key factors that contribute to disaster recovery and resilience. Margaret has worked in paid and volunteer roles and has operated her own private consulting business in disaster risk reduction and resilience. Following the 2019-2020 bushfires, she spent time working in philanthropy. Margaret has developed a strong reputation as a disaster resilience specialist, working to build community resilience in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders and led by communities themselves.

Together with her team at AIDR, Margaret is focussed on developing and sharing knowledge, resources, and experience across a range of sectors, to lead or contribute to efforts that enhance community and systemic resilience to natural hazards, across Australia. She has a particular passion for amplifying the voices of diverse groups who have lived experience and significant knowledge and expertise, and have previously been overlooked or not included ‘at the table’. She feels a sense of urgency about disaster risk reduction work, and strongly advocates for partnership approaches, on the basis that urgency, relationship and trust are essential elements of bringing about systemic change.

About Collaborating4Inclusion

The Collaborating4Inclusion research team works in partnership with government and emergency services, people with disability, and the services that support them to co-produce collaborative action so that nobody is left behind when disasters strike.

The Leave Nobody Behind project has been working across New South Wales and Nationally to develop research, policy, and practice that builds cross-sector community capacity to ensure that nobody is left behind when disasters strike. The final tranche in the project will be the development of a national framework for cross-sector collaborative action on DIDRR, supported and enabled by co-produced tools that everyone can use.

Webinar one: Actions government and emergency services can take on DIDRR

27 March 2023 | Watch online

For too long, disability has been kept in the ‘too-hard basket’. Emergency personnel have not had the right tools to support meaningful inclusion, participation and tailored planning for disasters; community, health and disability service providers have not been integrated into emergency planning; and people with disability have been overlooked in emergency management policies and practice decisions. Confusion persists about who takes responsibility for people with disability in emergencies.

This webinar will focus on the role and contributions of Australian government and emergency services to developing DIDRR at the local community level. Through case studies, we will explore approaches that government and emergency personnel are using to put people with disability and their support needs at the centre of inclusive emergency management policy, planning and practice.

Webinar two: Actions that people with disability and their representatives can take on DIDRR

17 April 2023 | Watch online

The biggest risk to safety and well-being of people with disability in emergencies is their exclusion from emergency management practices and policy decision-making.

Organisations of People with Disability (OPDs), Carer Organisations, and Advocacy Organisations can play a significant role in disaster policy, planning and interventions. Through their lived experience, leadership, and roles as disability advocates, these groups represent the voice and perspective of their members. With in-depth understanding of the factors that increase risk for people with disability in emergencies, they also have access to informal networks of support and communication. This information is not readily available within mainstream emergency management. 

In this webinar, we will listen and learn from people with disability, OPDs, carer representatives and advocates to learn about how they are taking action on DIDRR. We will share case studies that showcase how to keep people with disability and their support needs at the centre of Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR). We will consider peer-led approaches, implementation challenges and how they are being tackled, and what needs to happen next.

Webinar three: Actions that service providers can taken on DIDRR

15 May 2023 | Watch online

Community, health and disability service providers (paid service providers and volunteers) are an untapped local community asset with potential to increase safety and well-being for people with disability in emergencies. Harnessing this potential is a complex challenge.

This webinar shared examples of how Australian service providers are taking action on Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) in diverse service delivery contexts with different service delivery models, funding arrangements, and workforce capacity. Speakers spoke of effective practices for linking personal emergency preparedness of people with disability (and other high-risk groups) to organisational preparedness and service continuity, ensuring people with disability continue to receive the services that support them during a disaster.