This literature review examined spinal cord injury survivors of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan, the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

The effects of an earthquake in an urban area can be devastating. Often much is destroyed, including significant materials and human public health infrastructures, communication and transportation networks, as well as medical facilities. There are also vast individual risk factors to be conscious of, including pre-existing disabilities, extremes of age, chronic illness, and lack of mobility. 

Proper care and knowledge regarding spinal cord injuries is critical in any emergency response, such as an earthquake; on-scene spinal immobilization, intravenous access and maintenance of cervical alignment are critical. In addition, rapid referral to a multidisciplinary care facility with appropriate rehabilitation services is essential.  

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Medical rehabilitation of spinal cord injury following earthquakes

Handicap International began working in the Tibet Autonomous Region in 2000, with a goal for its projects to promote the social inclusion of people with disabilities. In mid-2015, the organization withdrew from the region, entrusting the projects to its former local partner, the Tibet Disabled Persons' Federation.

Twenty-year-old Tibetan Drolma Lazom was born with Kashin Beck Disease, a chronic, disabling bone disease common in Tibet Autonomous Region and other parts of southwestern China. In the blog below, Lazom describes the struggles of growing up with a disability in Tibet, and how, after joining a support group sponsored by Handicap international, she overcame her low self-esteem to become an advocate for the disabled. Handicap international, which has been working in China for 12 years, supports, among others, community-based rehabilitation in Tibet Region as well as disabled people’s organizations. 

In China, Humanity & Inclusion continues to run programs under the operating name "Handicap International." 

Humanity & Inclusion in China

Humanity & Inclusion has been working in China since 2000, promoting the social inclusion of people with disabilities.

China is currently the world’s most populated country with a population of 1.3 billion people. The country's rapid development has been accompanied by the emergence of new disparities, including growing inequality between the poor and wealthy regions.

There are more than 85 million people with disabilities living in China, most of whom live in extremely precarious conditions with little to no assistance available to them.

China is also prone to major natural disasters, and its provinces are frequently affected by major earthquakes and widespread flooding. 

Areas of Intervention

• Supporting victims of natural disaster
• Fighting discrimination against people with disabilities
• Including people with disabilities in society
• Supporting local disability rights organizations
• Improving mental health
• Enrolling children with disabilities in school
• Protecting vulnerable people

Humanity & Inclusion's 14-member team helps improve policies and practices on poverty reduction and the social inclusion of people with disabilities in rural China, particularly in the Shaanxi province. Teams also encourage civil society organizations to make their voices heard and to advance the rights of all people, so they play an active role in society.

With its partner PEER, Humanity & Inclusion works to achieve the objectives of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is intended to protect the full and equal access rights of people with disabilities.

Teams also ensure the dignity and basic freedoms and advances the rights of people with mental health disorders through training on psychosocial support for civil society teams and advocacy.

Our Past Work

Humanity & Inclusion has been in China since 2000, promoting a culture of dignity, access, and inclusion for ALL people with disabilities and who are vulnerable. Over time our work has transformed to meet the dynamic needs of the communities we serve.

Read on to learn more about our past work in China and consider investing in our future. 

Natural Disaster Relief 

When major natural disasters such as earthquakes or extensive flooding occur in China, Humanity & Inclusion offers emergency relief assistance to victims. The organization's first  emergency relief efforts in China were in the provinces of Guangxi, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia between 1998 and 2000 and also in Yunnan in August 2014.

Handicap International is responding to the needs of injured people in Ya'an, a city in China's Sichuan province, after a deadly April 20th earthquake.