When the temperature rises in Delhi, it does more than scorch the streets. For disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill people, heat waves are not just uncomfortable—they are deadly. This phenomenon is not only a climate issue—it’s a human rights failure.
The rights to life, health, education, work, and shelter are enshrined in international human rights frameworks. Nevertheless, when extreme heat hits—and it hits harder every year due to climate change—these rights are quietly stripped away from millions of disabled people who are neither mentioned in climate policy nor centered in emergency response plans.
Why we should care now
2024 was one of the hottest years ever recorded in Delhi. As the mercury crossed 49°C, many disabled people were trapped indoors with no electricity, inaccessible cooling spaces, and zero mobility support. Those relying on assistive devices, ventilators, or medications requiring refrigeration faced life-threatening risks. Others—such as autistic or neurodivergent individuals—struggled with sensory overload due to heat and noise, a problem often overlooked in relief strategies. These experiences are not anecdotal—they are systemic, recurring, and preventable.
Yet sadly, heat waves are rarely framed as disability issues. In India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change, the word “disability” appears only once. The latest Delhi State Action Plan does not account for the accessibility of its cooling shelters or early warning systems. This policy invisibility compounds the climate vulnerability of those with disabilities—the world’s largest minority, made up of over 1.3 billion people globally.
Media inaction and policy blindspots
Despite the disproportionate impact of climate change on disabled people, mainstream media and policy conversations rarely feature their lived experiences. My recent Youth Ki Awaaz feature highlighted how cooling centers often lack ramps or tactile signage, excluding wheelchair users and visually impaired persons. In my reporting for Lacuna and Peace Insight, I documented multiple accounts of individuals left behind during Delhi’s hottest days—people who couldn’t leave home, couldn’t afford to run cooling appliances, or were ignored by emergency services due to their disabilities.
These gaps in policy and the public narrative translate into real harm. They also violate the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which obligates states to protect disabled people in emergencies and ensure equal access to healthcare and infrastructure.
A global human rights issue
This issue is not unique to India. During the 2022 European heat wave, more than 61,000 excess deaths were recorded—most among elderly and disabled individuals. In June of 2025, the heat caused 2,300 deaths across 12 cities, of which 1,500 were caused by the climate crisis. Further, in the United States, fewer than 20% of local climate adaptation plans mention people with disabilities. Yet there are emerging models of inclusive action worth learning from.
For example, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, urban resilience programs have begun mapping heat-vulnerable communities, including slum residents with chronic illnesses or mobility issues. By identifying who is most at risk, city authorities are directing targeted adaptation measures to households often overlooked in mainstream planning.
Barcelona, Spain, offers another example. The city has created new tools and methods for urban planning professionals to design sustainable and inclusive play areas for children with autism spectrum disorder and their families. These initiatives demonstrate how climate adaptation can intersect with disability inclusion in everyday spaces. Similarly, in Rosario, Argentina, provincial governments have taken steps to integrate public health and heat wave responses. Their protocols combine surveillance systems with community outreach, offering a model that other Global South cities can scale to protect people with disabilities during extreme heat.
The Philippines has gone further in its disaster-preparedness education. Programs like Project SIGND and LEAD empower persons with disabilities as educators, ensuring that early warning systems include sign language, accessible information materials, and household-level planning. These initiatives not only protect people with disabilities but also position them as leaders in climate resilience. Another example from the Philippines is the Cebu Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (Cebu DiDRR) Network, which partners with local governments to ensure that disabled voices are present in planning and capacity-building. Their work shows that resilience is not a gift bestowed upon disabled communities but a process built with them at the center.
What must be done
We need disability justice to be at the center of climate resilience planning. This begins with early warning systems that are accessible to all. Alerts must be available in formats usable by deaf and blind communities, as well as neurodivergent and low-literate populations. Without them, critical information continues to bypass those who need it most, leaving disabled individuals in heightened danger during extreme heat events.
Urban design must also shift to a disability-first perspective. Cooling centers—whether schools, community halls, or public shelters—must be physically, cognitively, and socially accessible. This means ramps, tactile signage, quiet zones, and trained staff who understand diverse needs. Without such measures, the very spaces intended to offer safety instead reinforce exclusion.
Equally important is public funding for assistive technology and home adaptation. Heat-proof housing materials, uninterrupted power supply, and subsidies for cooling devices are not luxuries. For people who rely on ventilators, oxygen concentrators, or refrigerated medication, survival often depends on these resources.
Finally, disabled people must be recognized not only as beneficiaries of policy but as leaders in shaping it. Globally, grassroots disability activists are building mutual aid, redesigning public spaces, and demanding a seat at the climate policy table. These efforts prove that resilience is not possible without the voices and leadership of those most affected.
The climate crisis is not just about rising temperatures—it is about whose lives are deemed worth protecting when the heat hits. Until disabled lives are part of the equation, no climate policy can be called just.
The way forward
Extreme heat is the most visible face of climate change, and yet its impact on disabled people remains invisible. If we are to build a world resilient to climate change, we must dismantle the structural ableism that leaves millions to suffer in silence. As Delhi and cities across the Global South brace for longer, deadlier summers, the question remains: Will we continue to design heat wave responses for the non-disabled majority, or will we finally center those who are most at risk?