CW: Death & Poverty
Extreme heat caused by climate change and insufficient government support creates extreme hardship and distress for disabled people. Human Rights Watch published their findings last year based on the impacts seen in Andalusia, Spain, in the summer of 2022.
This summer is no different. In July, the East Coast was scorching hot. This week, Texas and its neighbors are suffering the consequences of extreme heat. As of Wednesday, San Antonio has gone 12 consecutive days since August 2 with high temps of at least 98 degrees. This is the longest stretch so far this summer.
Disabled people are frequently among the most vulnerable during an emergency, like a heatwave. Unfortunately, disabled people also have the least access to help during an emergency. Such disproportionate impacts are caused by many different factors,including a lack of inclusion in emergency and adaptation planning, limited emergency communication, accessibility challenges, isolation, and economic disadvantage. For example, parks and cooling centers are often inaccessible.
Studies show that disabled people are especially vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and fatalities. Some are more likely to have health issues that hinder the body’s ability to respond to heat.
Patty Glatfelter was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1980. When the temperature rises to 80 degrees, her feet go numb and she gets nauseous. MS affects the body’s ability to transmit messages through the nervous system. Even a half-degree rise in body temperature can impair nerve function and worsen MS symptoms due to a temporary condition called Uhthoff’s Phenomena.
Jocelyn Mondragon-Rosas has arthrogryposis. Arthrogryposis is a broad term for the development of nonprogressive contractures affecting one or more parts of the body before birth. She lived in Louisiana for 27 years before moving to Los Angeles in 2022. Louisiana’s climate is hot and sticky, which leads to excessive sweating.
For Mondragon-Rosas, sweating makes it difficult for her to manage her personal hygiene. Arythrogyrposis leaves her fingers crooked and when she sweats it is difficult for her to pull her pants down and even sit down.
When Hurricane Ida hit the region in 2021, she and her family had to stay with a friend for a month. She couldn’t stay cool. “They would have to give me showers almost every day because the sweat was so bad. I would get these terrible migraines. My body was aching. I remember I had to be carried to a bunch of places because I couldn’t walk that well,” she told STAT News.
People with psychiatric disabilities can also be affected by extreme heat. According to a study done by the American Geophysical Union, people with schizophrenia were at higher risk of serious illness or death than the general population, during the summer of 2021. Antipsychotic medications such as quetiapine, haloperidol, and risperidone, are commonly prescribed to treat schizophrenia. However, antipsychotic medications can also impair thermoregulation.
Disability-inclusive emergency planning saves lives. All community members’ safety and well-being should be a priority. If emergency plans are developed without disabled people in mind, millions of lives are at risk.
Sources:
“Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita.” NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders), National Institutes of Health, 16 November 2023, https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/arthrogryposis-multiplex-congenita/.
Alegría, Margarita, et al. ‘Social Determinants of Mental Health: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go’. Current Psychiatry Reports, vol. 20, no. 11, Sept. 2018, p. 95, https://doi.org10.1007/s11920-018-0969-9.
Broderick, Timmy. “As Climate Changes, Scorching Summers Bring Deadly Heat for People with Disabilities.” STAT News, Boston Globe Media, 16 Aug. 2024, http://www.statnews.com/2024/08/16/how-extreme-heat-affects-people-with-disabilities/.
Frohman, Teresa C., et al. ‘Uhthoff’s Phenomena in MS—Clinical Features and Pathophysiology’. Nature Reviews Neurology, vol. 9, no. 9, Sept. 2013, pp. 535–540, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.98.
Franze, Anthony. “South Texas Heat Wave Is about to Turn Even Hotter. Here’s When.” San Antonio Express-News, Hearst Media, 14 Aug. 2024, http://www.expressnews.com/san-antonio-weather/forecast/article/heat-wave-south-texas-even-hotter-19654644.php.
Lee, Michael Joseph, et al. ‘Chronic Diseases Associated With Mortality in British Columbia, Canada During the 2021 Western North America Extreme Heat Event’. GeoHealth, vol. 7, no. 3, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Mar. 2023, p. e2022GH000729, https://doi.org10.1029/2022GH000729
Schmidt Silke. ‘Preparing for Extreme Heat: Are Cooling Outdoor Spaces Accessible by People with Disabilities?’ Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 131, no. 7, Environmental Health Perspectives, p. 074002, https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13373.
Sabe, Michel, et al. ‘Antipsychotics for Negative and Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Acute Phase Trials’. Schizophrenia, vol. 7, no. 1, Sept. 2021, p. 43, https://doi.org10.1038/s41537-021-00171-2.
“Spain: Inadequate Response to Heatwaves.” Human Rights Watch, 26 June 2023, http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/26/spain-inadequate-response-heatwaves.