From “No One Left Behind” to Putting the Last First: Centring the Voices of Disabled People in Resilience Work

Abstract

The concept of resilience has obtained considerable purchase in the international development literature. After reviewing the literature and indicating that an inclusive approach that embraces the social justice agenda is required, we suggest that a project to centre the voices of disabled people within resilience work and debates about resilience may be helpful in a variety of ways. We argue that rather than simply ensuring that disabled people are included, they should be considered key informants whose perspectives are used to frame resilience processes. Recent methodological approaches that seek to work with marginalised groups in this way are then outlined to describe how this may be done in practice. Finally, we conclude by warning that this does not mean that disabled groups should be burdened with even more responsibility but rather that carefully thought through collaborations between these groups and others should be fostered to pursue a more inclusive and just approach to resilience work.