Building a More Inclusive and Resilient Emergency Planning System
Disabled people continue to face disproportionate challenges before, during and after emergencies. At the same time, disabled people and Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) play a vital role in supporting communities, strengthening resilience and responding to crises.
As Scotland seeks to build a more resilient future, there is growing recognition that emergency planning and response systems must be designed with disabled people, rather than for disabled people. This means embedding accessibility, inclusion and lived experience throughout preparedness, response and recovery activities from the beginning. .
To explore these issues, the National Centre for Resilience (NCR) brought together representatives from Disabled People’s Organisations, local authorities, emergency responders, policymakers and researchers for a policy-facing roundtable discussion in December 2025.
The event formed part of the NCR’s 2025 Roundtable Series, which aims to strengthen connections between research, policy and practice while supporting evidence-informed approaches to resilience and emergency planning in Scotland.
About this Report
This report captures the key themes, insights and recommendations emerging from the roundtable discussion.
Participants explored how Scotland’s emergency planning system can better meet the needs of disabled people and how equality, accessibility and inclusion can be embedded across all stages of resilience planning. Discussions considered current barriers, examples of good practice, opportunities for collaboration and practical actions that could strengthen policy and delivery across the civil contingencies sector.
The report highlights the importance of:
- Embedding disability inclusion within emergency planning from the outset.
- Recognising and valuing lived experience as a source of expertise.
- Strengthening collaboration between public services, Disabled People’s Organisations and communities.
- Improving the accessibility of emergency communication and preparedness activity.
- Building disability competence across emergency planning, response and recovery systems.
- Developing stronger evidence, data and evaluation to inform policy and practice.
The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, local authorities, emergency responders, Community Planning Partnerships, resilience partnerships, third sector organisations and others working to strengthen Scotland’s resilience.
Supporting Scotland’s Disability Equality Commitments
The roundtable was held within the context of the Scottish Government’s Disability Equality Plan and wider commitments to ensure that emergency planning arrangements are accessible, inclusive and responsive to the needs of disabled people.
The discussions reinforced a shared view that disability-inclusive emergency planning is not simply about meeting legal obligations. It is fundamental to creating more effective, equitable and resilient systems that work better for everyone.
Acknowledgements
The National Centre for Resilience would like to thank everyone who contributed to this work.
We are particularly grateful to the individuals, Disabled People’s Organisations, practitioners, policymakers, researchers and community representatives who gave their time to attend the roundtable, shared their knowledge and lived experiences, reviewed draft materials and provided valuable feedback throughout the development of this report.
Their expertise is essential in shaping the discussions and informing the findings presented here.
