Disability-led global disaster response in real-time, accessible, and AI-powered

GADRA is a disability-led alliance that uses an accessible digital V-EOC and an AI tool (AIME) to coordinate real-time, inclusive disaster response. Since 2020 it supported 53 DLOs in 28 disasters and evacuated over 1,100 people.

The World Institute on Disability is a disability-led organization (DLO) founded in Berkeley, California, in 1983 to promote the rights and full inclusion of people with disabilities worldwide. GADRA is a global alliance of disability-led organizations and partners to support local DLOs to identify needs and to link them to assistance and other kinds of resources during and after disasters. From 2020 to 2025, GADRA’s model has supported 53 DLOs to lead disability-centred responses, affecting over 11,000 people.

Problems Targeted

Disability-led organizations lack access to timely resources during disasters because mainstream systems often fail to recognize and support their leadership.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

The Global Alliance for Disaster Resource Acceleration (GADRA) approaches crisis response through a disability-led, globally-scalable model. GADRA operates through a digital platform that includes a Virtual Emergency Operations Centre (V-EOC) and an AI tool (AIME) to coordinate inclusive disaster responses. Both are multilingual, accessible (WCAG 2.2), and also compliant with the European Union’s data privacy law (GDPR). During crises, the GADRA V-EOC activates as a global, disability-led digital coordination hub that connects DPOs and partners in real time, supports them to mobilize resources, and ensures inclusive responses for their crisis-affected community. AIME, the AI tool, is used for translation into easy languages, identifying and matching needs. In addition, it assists in supply-chain logistics to facilitate the completion and submission of required forms, certifications, and regulatory requirements for the provision and receipt of disaster resources, particularly when sourced from external countries. AIME also has the potential to provide predictive analytics to anticipate needs, geo-locate and track sheltering and evacuation progress, and drive resources to local disability-led organizations and their disaster-affected community in real-time. Since 2020, GADRA has responded to the needs of 53 DLOs across 28 disasters in five continents, including the evacuation of over 1,100 persons with disabilities and their families to accessible locations.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

GADRA operates on foundation grants and corporate and in-kind contributions, including support from Google, Microsoft, Bristol Myers Squib, AT&T, The Nippon Foundation, and many others. GADRA is expanding user capacity, enhancing predictive analytics, and developing licensing models for replication by regional DLO hubs, aiming to reach over 100 DLOs. (#ZeroCall26)

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