Lebanon report: Thousands of disabled people living in unsafe emergency shelters

Press Release | London, 30th April 2026, 10:00 GMT

A new report from Humanity & Inclusion, Leaving No One Behind: Making Persons with Disabilities Visible in Lebanon’s Crisis, highlights the severe and systemic challenges faced by persons with disabilities amid the country’s ongoing crisis, calling for urgent and inclusive humanitarian action.

The report reveals that persons with disabilities, estimated at 10% of the population, or more than 400,000 individuals, are among the most affected yet least visible in the current crisis. As of early March 2026, over 1,600 households headed by persons with disabilities have been identified in collective shelters, highlighting the scale of vulnerability.

At least 2,469 persons with disabilities have been identified in collective shelters. Available data confirms their presence in displacement settings, including 1,300 persons with physical disabilities, 761 with intellectual disabilities, 481 with hearing impairments, and 338 with visual impairments. However, these figures represent only a fraction of those affected, as many remain outside formal systems, living in informal or unsafe conditions. Their exclusion reflects not only a gap in response, but a breach of their right to safety.

Unsafe and inaccessible shelter conditions

Conditions in collective shelters remain inadequate, even in sites designated as inclusive. Persons with disabilities face overcrowded pathways, inaccessible toilets, lack of electricity, and absence of privacy.

These conditions increase risks of falls, violence, and social isolation, particularly for women and individuals with limited mobility. The report emphasises that accessibility is not optional, it is a minimum humanitarian standard that is not yes consistently being met.

"Time and again in conflicts and disasters, people with disabilities are among the hardest hit. That is not inevitable. It is the result of systems that fail to see them or take their needs into account.” says Tom Shelton, Executive Director of Humanity & Inclusion UK. “When we fail to build disability inclusion into emergency responses from the outset, we are not simply overlooking people - we are making a choice to leave them behind. That choice has real-life consequences."

Systemic exclusion from humanitarian response

The report identifies structural barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from accessing humanitarian assistance. Disability inclusion is not consistently integrated into response planning, with major gaps in disability-disaggregated data, funding, and accessibility.

Barriers include inaccessible infrastructure, lack of information in accessible formats, weak referral systems, and limited targeted outreach. Additionally, the insufficient participation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in decision-making processes results in responses that fail to reflect lived realities and priority needs.

Health systems strained

Lebanon’s strained health system has significantly reduced access to essential care for persons with disabilities. Access to medications for chronic conditions is limited, and rehabilitation services, already scarce before the crisis, have largely disappeared from hospitals.

Assistive devices that are essential for mobility, communication, and daily functioning are not always available through the health system. Many have been lost during displacement, with no clear mechanisms for replacement. Without these devices, individuals lose the ability to move, communicate, and access even basic services.

Risks in return and recovery

The ceasefire reached on 16 April 2026 presents an opportunity for return, but the report warns of serious risks if inclusion is not prioritised. Persons with disabilities face disproportionate barriers to mobility, information, services, and housing.

Without deliberate and inclusive planning, return processes risk reinforcing existing inequalities and exposing persons with disabilities to further harm. Ensuring their full and meaningful inclusion is therefore not optional, but a legal and operational imperative.

Call for immediate action

The report calls for urgent action to ensure disability inclusion becomes a mandatory component of the humanitarian response:

Allocate at least 15% of humanitarian funding to disability inclusion.

Systematically integrate disability inclusion across all humanitarian response phases.

Enforce the use of disability-disaggregated data in all assessments.

Ensure all collective shelters meet minimum accessibility standards.

Ensure the continuity of rehabilitation services during emergencies, such as physiotherapy and mental health and psychosocial support, to prevent long-term impairments

Guarantee participation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in decision-making processes.

Expand disability-inclusive social protection mechanisms.

Ensure return and recovery planning is inclusive from the outset.

Without immediate actions, persons with disabilities will continue to be excluded from life-saving assistance.