The Washington Group Short Set of Questions on Disability in Disaster Risk Reduction and humanitarian action: Lessons from practice

The Washington Group Short Set of Questions on Disability (WGQ) has been promoted to support inclusive practice within Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), humanitarian action and more broadly international development. Yet there is limited documentation of learning from use in practice. This article draws together practice and learning from Indonesia, the Philippines and Bangladesh by German Non-Government Organisation Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB), and local partner Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Disabled People's Organisations (DPOs). It aims to break down perceptions related to the complexity of disability inclusion and disability data, and encourage disaster actors to actively use the WGQ. It outlines that the WGQ are a practical tool for DRR and humanitarian action actors to support identification of persons with disabilities and plan accessible initiatives and services which are inclusive to most at-risks populations. However, the article argues that it is important to ensure those using the WGQ are sufficiently trained and supported, the question set is fitting to needs, appropriately framed and implemented, and additional information is collected based on data collection needs to ensure there is sufficient information to support inclusive practice within initiatives. In addition, this paper contributes to the literature on inclusion by spelling out the learning that has come in the journey to develop good practice in collecting and using disability data in DRR and humanitarian actions.