• How Sri Lanka’s disaster systems failed persons with disabilities

When cyclone Ditwah swept across Sri Lanka, the warnings came early, at least, for some.

For others, there was no warning at all.

In Uva Province, every single person with a disability surveyed, 100%, reported that they received no early alert before the cyclone struck. No call. No message. No knock on the door. Just the storm.

What followed was not simply the chaos of a natural disaster, but something far more telling: a system that had never been built to include them in the first place.

A recent community-led rapid needs assessment conducted by Yellowdot Community, alongside Ability for Action, We for Rights, and ORHAN, captures this reality in stark terms. Covering 136 households across the Central, Northern, Uva, and Western Provinces, the report draws from the experiences of 150 persons with disabilities and over 400 members of their caregiving networks.

What emerges is not a story of isolated gaps, but of structural exclusion.

When cyclone Ditwah approached Sri Lanka, warnings were issued, systems were activated, and emergency responses were set in motion. But as Yellowdot Community Programme Director Zainab Hassan stated, the assumption that these systems reached everyone does not hold up under scrutiny.

“One of the most striking findings from the assessment was that entire communities of persons with disabilities were effectively outside the reach of early warning mechanisms,” she said, pointing to the complete absence of alerts reported in Uva Province.

The warning that never reached

Hassan explained that this was not a matter of delay or inefficiency, but of design. “We often think of early warning systems as universal, but they are built around a very narrow understanding of who the ‘user’ is,” she said.

In practice, she stated, this has meant communication methods that rely heavily on formats inaccessible to many persons with disabilities. Audio announcements exclude those who are deaf or hard of hearing, while text-based alerts fail those with visual impairments.

“What the data shows us is not just that people missed the warning,” Hassan explained. “It shows that the warning was never built to reach them in the first place.”

Shut out of safety

That exclusion did not end with communication. Hassan stated that the report revealed a deeply concerning pattern across all four provinces.

“We documented 368 emergency shelters that were established in response to the cyclone, and not a single one was accessible to persons with disabilities,” she said.

The implications, she explained, go beyond numbers. “Accessibility is often reduced to a checklist item, but what we heard from communities was about lived barriers – steps without ramps, spaces that could not accommodate mobility aids, and sanitation facilities that were unusable,” she stated.

“In that moment of crisis, the very spaces intended to provide safety became another point of exclusion,” Hassan added.

Livelihoods lost, recovery uncertain

The impact of the cyclone, Hassan explained, did not end when the immediate danger passed.

“Ninety-three percent of respondents reported partial or complete loss of income,” she said, noting that for many persons with disabilities, financial stability was already fragile before the disaster.

“When livelihoods are disrupted at that scale, recovery is not just about rebuilding structures,” Hassan stated. “It is about rebuilding systems of support that were never strong to begin with.”

She explained that without targeted interventions, many individuals face significant barriers in re-entering the workforce, prolonging the effects of the disaster well beyond the event itself.

Cut off from care

Access to healthcare emerged as another major concern. Hassan explained that disruptions were reported consistently across all provinces.

“We heard from individuals who could not access essential medication, who were cut off from assistive devices, and who experienced interruptions in care that they rely on daily,” she said.

These are not short-term challenges, she stated. “When healthcare access breaks down in this way, it compounds existing vulnerabilities and creates new ones.”

She added that disruptions also extended to education and sanitation, further affecting the dignity and wellbeing of those impacted.

The invisible weight on caregivers

Beyond individuals with disabilities, Hassan stated that the report also highlighted the experiences of caregivers.

“Over 400 caregivers were impacted, and their accounts show the additional burden placed on families when formal systems fall short,” she explained.

Caregivers, she said, were often forced to navigate inaccessible environments while managing complex health and emotional needs. “Their role becomes one of constant adaptation, often without recognition or support,” Hassan stated.

A system designed without inclusion

For Hassan, the findings point to a broader issue that cannot be dismissed as isolated gaps.

“These are not isolated failures,” she said. “They are predictable outcomes of systems that have not been designed with persons with disabilities in mind.”

She explained that the repetition of these barriers across communication, shelter, healthcare, and livelihoods signals something deeper. “When the same issues appear across different sectors and regions, it tells us that exclusion is embedded within the system itself,” she stated.

Building systems that include

At the same time, Hassan emphasised that the report is not only about documenting what went wrong, but also about identifying a path forward.

“The purpose of this assessment is to inform what needs to change,” she said.

She explained that future efforts must centre the lived experiences of persons with disabilities. “We are looking at community-based psychosocial support, particularly for young persons with disabilities and their caregivers, because the emotional impact of these events is significant and often overlooked,” she stated.

Hassan added that rebuilding livelihoods must also be approached differently. “Recovery efforts need to recognise that persons with disabilities face additional barriers in re-entering the workforce, and support must be designed with that reality in mind,” she said.

She also stressed the importance of strengthening frontline response. “Training first responders in sign language and building disability-inclusive disaster management systems are not optional – they are essential,” Hassan explained.

Beyond one organisation

Ultimately, Hassan made it clear that the scale of the issue extends beyond any single initiative.

“This work is larger than us,” she said. “It requires coordination across government authorities, healthcare systems, disaster management structures, and civil society.”

The communities at the heart of the report, she added, deserve more than temporary solutions. “They deserve systems that recognise them, include them, and respond to them,” Hassan stated.

Because when the next disaster comes, the measure of preparedness will not be how quickly warnings are issued – but who they reach, and who is still left waiting in silence.