Theme: | Disability inclusive responses to natural and man-made emergencies – Article 11 UNCRPD |
When: | Thursday, 15 October 2026, 9:30am – 4.15pm |
Where: | This will be a hybrid event with the physical venue at the Havelock Suite, Aviva Stadium, Dublin and online participation via Zoom also available |
Cost: | Free of charge |
Registration: | Register for in-person or online attendance |
About the Conference
The National Disability Authority’s 2026 Annual Conference will examine disability inclusive responses to natural and man-made emergencies in line with Article 11 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
Article 11 UNCRPD focuses on situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies. It requires measures to be taken to ensure the safety and protection of disabled during situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies. Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies worldwide can include natural disasters, climate change events, war, pandemics and other crises.
Topics which will be explored as part of the conference include:
- barriers faced by disabled people in situations of risk and natural and man-made emergencies, and proposed solutions and good practices to address such challenges
- the impact of natural disasters and extreme weather events on people with disabilities and measures to address such challenges
- disability inclusive disaster risk reduction and emergency responses
- lessons learned from other jurisdictions and previous crises in ensuring respect for Article 11 UNCRPD.
Speakers and panellists at the conference will include disabled people and their representative organisations, public officials and academics.
The conference will be of interest to:
- Policy makers
- Public sector officials
- Local authority officials
- Disabled Persons Organisations and other disability organisations
- Disabled people and their families
- Professionals and volunteers involved in humanitarian responses.
A conference programme and ‘meet the speakers’ document are available below. An Easy to Read version of the ‘meet the speakers’ document will be made available shortly.
Accessibility measures
Irish Sign Language interpretation and real-time captioning will be provided (both online and in-person). A Changing Places toilet and quiet room will also be available.
We will be using social interaction stickers as part of this event to signal if attendees would like to engage with others attending the conference as follows:
- a green sticker signals that an attendee is happy to have social interaction with anyone;
- a yellow sticker signals that an attendee is happy to interact with people they know or recognise;
- a red sticker signals that an attendee does not wish to interact with anyone.
Additional information
The conference will be recorded. All recordings will be made available on our website and YouTube channel 2-3 weeks after the event.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by email (nda.annualconference@nda.ie) or by phone (01 608 0400).
We look forward to welcoming you both online and in-person to our 2026 Annual Conference.
Conference Programme
NDA Annual Conference 2026 Programme
'Meet the speakers' (speakers' information)
NDA Annual Conference 2026 Meet the Speakers
Easy Read (speakers information)