What are the impacts of climate shocks on people with disabilities and does the Ultra-Poor Graduation Programme improve their resiliency?

Extreme weather events (‘climate shocks’) are accelerating in frequency and magnitude due to climate change. The 1.3 billion people with disabilities globally are particularly at risk of experiencing negative impacts to their livelihoods and well-being from these events.  For example, they are more likely to live in poverty, have less stable livelihoods, and face social exclusion, making it harder for them to adapt to and resist such shocks. They also tend to be more severely affected by disruptions in health and other critical services. Less documented impacts include reduced access to disability-related supports (e.g., personal assistance, assistive technology) and heightened discrimination. People with disabilities may also have a lower threshold for a ‘shock’, as they may begin to experience negative impacts to their livelihoods, health and social participation from less extreme weather events compared to people without disabilities. Despite their increased risk, people with disabilities are often overlooked in climate responses.
Climate-responsive social protection is an important strategy for preventing, mitigating and coping with climate shocks. The Ultra-Poor Graduation (UPG), developed by the NGO BRAC, is an innovative approach to social protection that has been implemented in over 20 countries. It combines short-term cash allowances, provision of productive assets (e.g., livestock), livelihood training, access to credit schemes, and programmes for improving access to health and other services. There is strong evidence that the UPG can reduce poverty and create stronger and more stable livelihoods, including amongst people with disabilities. However, it is not known if these benefits can be maintained in the face of climate shocks.
The aim of this fellowship is to investigate how to promote resiliency to climate shocks amongst people with disabilities through disability-inclusive, climate-responsive social protection globally, with a particular focus on Bangladesh – a country considered to be particularly vulnerable to climate shocks. Specific objectives are to:

Explore the effects of climate shocks on people with disabilities’ livelihoods, health, and well-being in Bangladesh and globally.
Evaluate how social protection mitigates the impacts of climate shocks among people with disabilities, with a focus on the UPG in Bangladesh.
Estimate the cost-benefits of UPG among people with disabilities in Bangladesh.
Identify adaptations to UPG that could improve resilience to climate shocks, as well as broader learnings on creating disability-inclusive, climate-responsive social protection in diverse settings globally.

The findings from this research will provide valuable insights into how climate shocks are affecting people with disabilities, and on how to improve resilience through disability-inclusive, climate-responsive social protection strategies. This evidence will help policymakers, NGOs, and international organisations design and implement more effective social protection programmes and other climate responses that consider the unique needs of people with disabilities. By doing so, the research aims to reduce poverty, improve livelihoods, and promote equity and inclusion for people with disabilities in the face of increasing climate variability.
This work will directly benefit the 12 million people with disabilities in Bangladesh and the over 20 countries using the UPG model. It will also contribute to broader global efforts to reduce poverty, strengthen livelihoods, and spur climate action. The research will foster partnerships with key stakeholders in Bangladesh and internationally and build capacity for future research and advocacy, ultimately strengthening global responses to climate shocks.