In the Pacific Islands scenario, the first step in this chapter is to analyze the trio of infrastructure, isolation, and inaccessibility in such a way that they lead to a double aspect of vulnerability and resilience in the region. The Pacific Island countries, scattered over huge oceanic distances, are all caught up in the web of geography and infrastructure that makes it impossible to deliver health, education, transportation, and communication services equally—especially to disabled persons. The chapter takes a multidimensional approach: the first one being the geographical isolation aspect that encourages social exclusion; the second is the inadequacy and fragility of infrastructure that magnifies vulnerability; and the last one is the disability inclusion that is still a fringe issue in most resilience frameworks. The author backs up his claim with data gathered from empirical research, regional policy studies, and recent disaster cases such as Cyclones Pam, Winston, and Harold, among others. Besides, subtopics such as geographical isolation and its effects on emergency access, accessibility, and inclusion in built and information environments, and urban versus rural island disparities in Oceania, highlight the complexity of the issue. The chapter argues that the region's resilience can be increased only if the problems of systemic infrastructure and governance inaccessibility are resolved first. It ends by proposing that the Pacific Islands adopt inclusive, community-driven, and context-specific strategies, and that accessibility be viewed as a human right and a prerequisite for sustainable development throughout the region, thereby advocating the reallocation of resources from the latter to the former.

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Infrastructure, Isolation, and Inaccessibility

  • Sheena Mariam Thomas,
  • Ramakrishnan Veerabathiran

摘要

In the Pacific Islands scenario, the first step in this chapter is to analyze the trio of infrastructure, isolation, and inaccessibility in such a way that they lead to a double aspect of vulnerability and resilience in the region. The Pacific Island countries, scattered over huge oceanic distances, are all caught up in the web of geography and infrastructure that makes it impossible to deliver health, education, transportation, and communication services equally—especially to disabled persons. The chapter takes a multidimensional approach: the first one being the geographical isolation aspect that encourages social exclusion; the second is the inadequacy and fragility of infrastructure that magnifies vulnerability; and the last one is the disability inclusion that is still a fringe issue in most resilience frameworks. The author backs up his claim with data gathered from empirical research, regional policy studies, and recent disaster cases such as Cyclones Pam, Winston, and Harold, among others. Besides, subtopics such as geographical isolation and its effects on emergency access, accessibility, and inclusion in built and information environments, and urban versus rural island disparities in Oceania, highlight the complexity of the issue. The chapter argues that the region's resilience can be increased only if the problems of systemic infrastructure and governance inaccessibility are resolved first. It ends by proposing that the Pacific Islands adopt inclusive, community-driven, and context-specific strategies, and that accessibility be viewed as a human right and a prerequisite for sustainable development throughout the region, thereby advocating the reallocation of resources from the latter to the former.