Professor of Architecture Yamuna Kaluarachchi presents key research regarding issues of gender and disability inclusion in Sri Lanka
The research project was a collaboration between Manchester Metropolitan University & the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, aimed at influencing policy and practice around gender and disability inclusion and wider marginalized community needs in national and international policies related to re-development in Sri Lanka & South Asia.
Yamuna Kaluarachchi is a Chartered Architect (RIBA) and completed her PhD in Architecture at the University of Cambridge. Yamuna’s research expertise are Smart and Green Cities, Resilience of Urban Cities & Communities, Biomimicry and Nature Based Solutions for Architecture and User Behaviour and Engagement in Sustainability.
Having previously conducted research on ‘Sustainable Living and the older community’, Professor Kaluarachchi felt that now, more than ever, exploring issues surrounding gender and disability inclusion is particularly pivotal: “There are research gaps and lack of data in relation to gender and disability inclusion in post recovery re-building programmes in South Asia. This is even more evident when disability perspectives are still largely marginalised. Limitations in obtaining reliable gender and disability data is due to several factors including inadequacy of tools used to capture data, constraints in obtaining information about disability registrations, low prioritization, and social stigma, among others. Given this context, this research is greatly important”.
The project found that there is a major gap in research and knowledge in relation to gender and disability inclusion and an urgent need to conduct research on the subject. Professor Kaluarachchi said that the most striking outcome of the research was “how many long-term benefits can be achieved when women are engaged in the development and decision-making process”. She added that “the research illustrated that nearly 20 years after the Asian Tsunami and the long civil conflicts, gender inclusion has not advanced considerably in the post-disaster development (PDD) programmes of Sri Lanka”.
This research provides a clear framework for how to approach issues surrounding gender and disability among these post-disaster development programmes in Sri Lanka and several national and international organisations are considering the results when implementing their projects. Professor Kaluarachchi explained: “The first phase of the project provided significant insights to gender inclusion in post-disaster developments; benefits, challenges, and areas for improvement. It also illustrated the lack of data and information in relation to disability inclusion and the research has now been extended to conduct in-depth research in relation to this subject”.
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Professor Yamuna Kaluarachchi
Department Research Degrees Co-ordinator
