A/HRC/31/30 disabilities, including to those residing in institutions. States must ensure that persons with disabilities are able to take their assistive devices and equipment with them or, if impossible, to replace them. Attention should be given to the maintenance, repair and necessary update of assistive devices, as well as the support necessary for their effective use, particularly in rural areas and camps.47 Evacuations are particularly challenging for those with significant support requirements. It is important to ensure that adequate support is in place and available. 30. A lack of accessible information and support can prevent persons with disabilities from having access to humanitarian aid, including shelter, food and non-food items, medical assistance and family tracing. For example, persons with physical impairments are prevented from reaching collection points, which thus exposes them to substantive deprivation of basic services and goods and to the risk of exploitation owing to a reliance on others for assistance. 31. Water and sanitation facilities in emergency and temporary shelters should be accessible to those with disabilities. Priority should be given to transitional shelter, which should be close to a water supply and sanitary facilities. It is important that shelter managers consult with persons with disabilities and their families to better adapt these facilities and, failing adequate solutions, on how to prioritize relocation. 32. Health and rehabilitation services should be made available in an accessible and culturally adequate fashion for persons with disabilities. Access to medical intervention, regular medication and treatment of chronic illnesses should be granted on an equal basis with others, including the provision of reproductive health services for women and girls with disabilities. Support should be provided to enable people to better cope with stress, anxiety and pre-existing conditions, given that mental health issues may also be triggered by situations of risk. In Colombia, for example, the Ministry of Social Protection outlines in an emergency guide on mental health dedicated procedures to deliver mental health services to different groups in emergency situations, including persons with disabilities, and advice for professionals on the use of sign language, Braille, large print and other means and modes of communication.48 33. Ultimately, effective interventions largely depend on the availability of funds. Adequate, timely and predictable resources should be in place to give effect to commitments for inclusive emergency preparedness and response. It is essential for donors to invest in humanitarian efforts that are inclusive of persons with disabilities. States should refrain from causing harm in their international cooperation efforts by promoting practices contrary to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Instead, they should consider using a human rights-based approach in the emergency management cycle. 34. Risk situations may render persons with disabilities more vulnerable to violence, neglect, physical abuse or sexual exploitation, while also weakening law enforcement and fracturing support and safety mechanisms. Those at greatest risk are women, girls and boys and individuals who live alone or in isolation. It is important that potential risks be identified and adequate assistance be in place, including legal aid, in order to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to protection and community-based support services. 35. Child protection mechanisms should be age- and gender-appropriate. Relevant information should be available in suitable formats for boys and girls, and suited to different types of impairments. Medical, legal, psychological, social, educational and other 47 48 UNHCR, Working with Persons with Disabilities in Forced Displacement, 2011, p. 8. Ministerio de la Protección Social, Guía de Atención en Salud Mental en Emergencias y Desastres, Bogotá, June 2011. 11