Disability Situation in Disaster Management in Iran (a literature review)

Attention to people with disability is important at all stages of disaster management، besides reducing damage to these groups they cause to prevent the risk of many adverse and irreversible consequences of disasters. According to the previous experiences، not enough attention is being paid to the needs of the disabled people in national disaster management plans. However، this study aimed to collect and review the disability publications and studies conducted by Iranian researchers in order to describe characteristics of the existing evidences and also to explain the position of disabled people in disaster studies and researches in the country. On September 2013، the relevant documents searched by using six databases such as SID، Irandoc، Iran Medex، Magiran، Database of Iranian Rehabilitation and Med Lib. Several keywords such as disability، disabled people، disasters، hazards، events، crisis، and earthquake were applied without any time limit in the publication years. About 13،624 documents were retrieved in initial search; finally، 10 studies including articles and thesis were selected and studied based on the inclusion and exclusion and eligibility criteria. The articles described in three parts: 1) The study of the disability before disasters (2 articles); 2) The study of the disability after disasters (4 articles); 3) The disaster management studies related to pre-disaster and post-disaster phases (1 article). The related thesis were conducted in Kerman University of Medical Sciences and Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences University and just explained in the form of first and second parts. The collected and studied existing scientific and academic documents on people with disability and disasters revealed inadequacy of related scientific resources and documentation. This considerable gap should fill with identifying the challenges and needs of all types of disabilities and reduce the risk of natural and man-made disasters for disabled people as well as improving their preparedness.