Did you know that during the 2021 heat wave in British Columbia, 91% of the deaths involved people with disabilities ? This group of people is rarely considered in Canadian municipalities’ climate change adaptation strategies.

We met with Sébastien Jodoin, a professor in McGill University’s Faculty of Law, to talk about it. In collaboration with Ouranos, he is studying the impacts of climate change on people with disabilities in Montréal, in the aim of improving climate adaptation practices to make them more disability inclusive.

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Ouranos: First of all, what is disability?

Sébastien Jodoin: That isn’t an easy question to answer, since there are several ways to look at disability.

Disability can be seen as the result of the obstacles imposed by society, rather than the limitation itself. For example, a person in a wheelchair is not disabled because of their inability to walk, but because of the lack of a ramp or because of the stigma that other people attach to their difference.  

Disability can also be seen as an integral part of identity and as a source of pride and understanding. For example, many people in the deaf community consider themselves a cultural minority and use the word “deaf” when referring to themselves, rather than “hearing impaired.” The experience of disability is subjective and varies from person to person, with some calling themselves “people with disabilities,” while others use the term “disabled person” with pride.

Both perspectives are included in our projects, allowing us to better understand the social barriers that increase climate vulnerability and how the knowledge and leadership of people with disabilities can contribute to building resilience.

O.: In what ways are people with disabilities more vulnerable to climate change?

S. J.: People with disabilities are at increased risk of mortality during extreme weather events. For example, 75% of the victims of the heat wave in Montréal on June 30, 2018, were living with a chronic disease.  

While some physical limitations increase sensitivity to heat, the causes are often structural, like economic insecurity, inadequate housing, or dependence on essential services that may be inaccessible during severe weather events.

However, the data on the specific impacts of climate change depending on the type of disability is very limited.

There are subtleties in the experiences of people with disabilities that are still not understood. For example, a blind person may have difficulty reading Braille in hot weather due to sweat and a loss of tactile sensitivity.

So we decided to carry out the project “Nothing about us without us: Implementing climate change adaptation for disability in the Montréal metropolitan area” in collaboration with Ouranos. This research project aims to better understand the experiences of people with disabilities, beyond the medical aspect, in connection with different climate-related hazards: heat waves, extreme rainfall, freeze-thaw cycles, winter rain and floods. It focuses in particular on factors like:

• Access to information 

• Income

• Social isolation

O.: Can you name any initiatives or cities that are effectively integrating the needs of people with disabilities into their adaptation plans?

S. J.: In the United States, climate adaptation practices tend to be more inclusive than in Canada, thanks in part to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a law that has allowed people with disabilities to sue cities in the wake of natural disasters for their lack of inclusivity. This has prompted cities like Boston to take action, by distributing air conditioners to people with disabilities, for example.

In Canada, Vancouver stands out with its consultation project and distribution of cooling vests for people with disabilities who are heat-intolerant. However, initiatives remain rare and are very much focused on heat. In general, cities have failed to step up to the plate, but with an effort, Montréal could become a leader in the matter.

O.: What practical solutions would you recommend to decision-makers to make adaptation more inclusive?

S. J.: Analysis of climate adaptation policies in several Canadian cities, including Montréal and the City of Québec, has shown that people with disabilities are rarely mentioned and are not well consulted despite their great vulnerability to extreme weather events.  This gap is recognized by several government partners.

The essential starting point is therefore to ensure that people with disabilities actively participate in decisions on adaptation. This involves not only consulting them, but also building capacity by:

• Educating decision-makers

• Developing expertise on the subject 

• Supporting leadership by people with disabilities

This work is crucial, but remains complicated to implement. Disability rights organizations often relegate climate issues to the back burner, as they still have to fight for basic needs like a decent income or accessible housing.

O.: What methodologies do you use to integrate a disability lens into your research on inclusive adaptation?

S. J.: The project we’re conducting with Ouranos is participatory in nature and is based on collaboration with people with motor, visual or intellectual disabilities or chronic illnesses. They will contribute to every stage of the research project, including:

• Questionnaire design

• Interviews 

• Analysis of results

• Co-construction of solutions

Particular attention will be paid to making the learnings accessible, using plain language.

O.: What led to your interest in this subject?

S. J.: I’ve been conducting research on human rights and climate change since 2005. In 2015, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. At that point, I discovered that, like many other people with this disease, I was very intolerant of heat.

That brought the connection between disability and climate change home to me. As a climate expert, I also noticed that there was a big gap in the knowledge. This is what led me to launch a research program on disability and climate action in 2020. 

1. Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021, Report to the Chief Coroner of British Columbia Release Date: June 7, 2022

2. Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal (2019). Vague de chaleur été 2018 à Montréal : enquête épidémiologique, 36p., ISBN 978-2-550-84020-6