In April 2026, HI published an alarming report on the situation of people with disabilities in the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, entitled Leaving no one behind.
The problem in numbers
As of mid-March 2026, more than 1,600 households headed by a person with a disability had been recorded in collective shelters in Lebanon. In total, at least 2,469 people with disabilities were identified in these reception facilities — among them 1,300 with a physical disability, 761 with a mental disability, 481 with a hearing disability, and 338 with a visual disability.
But at the national level, people with disabilities are estimated to represent around 10% of the Lebanese population, or more than 400,000 individuals. Tens of thousands of them have taken refuge in informal camps, in cars, or in buildings under construction, often falling below the radar of humanitarian aid systems.
Botched evacuations, inaccessible shelters
During emergency evacuations, many people with disabilities were unable to flee in safe conditions. Worse still, many had to abandon the mobility aids essential to them — wheelchairs, prosthetics, medications — worsening their vulnerability in displaced persons camps.
Collective shelters are unsuitable: corridors are cluttered, toilets accessible only via stairs, electricity is lacking and privacy is non-existent, etc. For people with reduced mobility, and particularly for women with disabilities, these conditions multiply the risks of falls, social isolation, and violence.
A healthcare system under severe pressure
For people with disabilities, access to essential care — including medication for chronic illnesses, regular medical follow-up, and rehabilitation services, already limited before the crisis — has shrunk considerably. No mechanism exists to replace mobility aids — indispensable for moving around, communicating, or carrying out daily tasks — that were lost during evacuations.
A humanitarian response that needs rethinking
Disability has not yet been integrated as a systematic priority in the humanitarian response in Lebanon. Data broken down by type of disability is sorely lacking, rendering the people concerned invisible in needs assessments and resource allocation. Organisations of people with disabilities are almost entirely absent from decision-making bodies, which deprives the humanitarian response of their essential perspective.
The ceasefire concluded on 16 April 2026 offers a window of opportunity — fragile but real — to course-correct, the report says. Displaced persons have the right to return home, but this return must be safe and dignified. For people with disabilities, this means removing the physical, informational, and institutional barriers that impede their mobility and access to services.
Calls to action
In its report, HI sets out several urgent recommendations for humanitarian actors and donors:
- dedicate at least 15% of humanitarian funding to disability inclusion,
- make the use of detailed data mandatory,
- guarantee genuine accessibility in all collective shelters,
- and ensure the continuity of rehabilitation services during emergencies.
The organisation also calls for the formal and permanent integration of organisations of people with disabilities into all humanitarian coordination platforms.
Finally, HI stresses the need for a return and reconstruction framework designed from the outset to include people with disabilities — with accessible housing, adapted services, and free and informed decision-making.
