Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities

Transcription

1 Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities Websites Access Board Emergency Evacuation Procedures This is the Access Board's current emergency evacuation plan, which it is making publicly available, along with information on how it was developed, as a resource for other organizations that may implement or update their own plans. While this plan is specific to the Board's workforce and building site, it may help others identify and address some of the important issues that need to be taken into account in developing evacuation plans that accommodate persons with disabilities. American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD): Emergency Preparedness AAHD has been a leader in the emergency preparedness and disaster response field for people with disabilities. This site has a number of documents developed by AAHD and partners. es2 AAHD: Emergency Preparedness: Ready or Not? This Fall 2004 newsletter article discusses steps taken by various government agencies and other organizations to include people with disabilities in emergency preparedness. Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions (CDHP): Emergency Evacuation Preparedness Guide A Guide for People with Disabilities and Other Activity Limitations This guide by June Isaacson Kailes, Disability Policy Consultant, and the CDHP at Western University of Health Sciences, in Pomona, California, focuses on people with disabilities and activity limitations successfully evacuating buildings. Its goal is to help people strengthen their preparedness. Craig Hospital: Make an Emergency Fire Plan This page has tips to help people prevent fires and to make an evacuation plan should a fire occur. 1

2 Disabilty.gov: Emergency Preparedness This page has tools and resources that can help individuals, businesses, schools, emergency management planners, and others prepare for many different kinds of emergency situations. There are tips for preparing an emergency kit and links to information for all states. Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) 2323 S Shepherd Suite 1000 Houston, TX Phone: x0 ilru@ilru.org This site was created to assist, educate and archive information regarding disaster preparedness for people with disabilities. Disaster Resources for People with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs, Emergency Managers & Planners & Disability-Focused Organizations jik@pacbell.net This page maintained by June Isaacson Kailes, Disability Policy Consultant, contains many links to resources to help individuals with disabilities and organizations plan for emergencies. Federal Emergency Management Agency: People with Disabilities and Other Access and Functional Needs Preparing and Planning This site has recommendations for emergency planning for people with a variety of functional needs and some resources for people with disabilities and emergency planners. Federal Emergency Management Agency: Preparing for Disaster for People with Disabilities and other Special Needs This booklet which can be downloaded as a PDF provides a step-by-step guide to help people with disabilities or other special needs prepare an emergency plan to protect themselves, family, friends, personal care assistant and others in the support network in the event of an emergency. Federal Emergency Management Agency: Individuals with Access & Functional Needs This page has information to help people make an emergency plan that takes their personal needs into consideration. 2

3 ReadySpNeeds_web.pdf Federal Emergency Management Agency: Preparing Makes Sense for People with Disabilities, Others with Access and Functional Needs and the Whole Community This brochure is designed to help people make an emergency plan that fits their personal needs. Inclusive Preparedness Center (IPC) 1010 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 340 Washington, DC Phone: IPC focuses on ensuring all individuals are included in planning for and protection from both natural and man-made disasters, including pandemics, terrorist attacks, floods, power outages, hurricanes, blizzards and tornados. IPC cooperates with federal, state and local agencies responsible for emergency planning and management and provides resources to assist local service provider organizations in developing plans for people who need specialized communication, transportation, and medical supports. Services are also available to private businesses, corporations and other organizations. The Center s resources include: print and multi-media materials, bibliographical references, research, training materials and packages for training professionals on-site or through distance education. National Council on Disability: Emergency Management This page has links to several reports, including Saving Lives: Including People with Disabilities in Emergency Planning and The Impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on People with Disabilities: A Look Back and the Remaining Challenges. Findings and recommendations contained in the publications in this section come from analyses of applicable laws, regulations, policy guidance, barriers, promising practices, and emergency management models that include active involvement of knowledgeable people with disabilities during each phase. National Nurse Emergency Preparedness Initiative A free web-based course from George Washington University that provides emergency preparedness training for nurses working in a wide variety of settings. abilities/ National Organization on Disability (NOD): Emergency Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities NOD offers a range of emergency preparedness materials and resources for emergency planners, managers and responders and for people with disabilities. 3

4 people_with_disabilities/ NOD: Prepare Yourself: Disaster Readiness Tips for People with Disabilities This page has tips to help people with disabilities prepare for emergencies. There are brochures specifically for people with mobility disabilities, sensory disabilities, developmental or cognitive disabilities, and people with service animals. National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities The mission of the National Resource Center, a project of the Center for Public Health Readiness & Communication at the Drexel University School of Public Health, is to serve as a central clearinghouse of resources and an information exchange portal to facilitate communication, networking and collaboration to improve preparedness, build resilience and eliminate disparities for culturally diverse communities across all phases of an emergency / National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities: Physically Disabled This page has links to resources targeting people with physical disabilities. Nobody Left Behind: Disaster Preparedness for Persons with Mobility Impairments This site reports on research from a three-year study by the Research and Training Center on Independent Living at the University of Kansas to: determine if disaster plans and emergency response systems for homes, businesses, and the community include the health, safety, and survival needs for persons with mobility impairment; assess how persons with mobility impairment fared in locations that recently experienced a disaster; and identify emerging or Best Practices models for counties to assist in disaster plans and emergency responses to meet the needs of persons with mobility impairments. Prepare Now: Supporting Special Needs and Vulnerable Populations in Disaster This page has documents to provide assistance for organizations whose client base includes vulnerable people, while others are designed as planning tools for individuals. Documents include Earthquake Tips for People With Mobility Disabilities. Project Safe EV-AC (Evacuation and Accommodation of People with Disabilities) P.O. Box 6080 International Center for Disability Information West Virginia University Morgantown, WV Phone:

5 Research and Training Center on Independent Living: Assessing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Persons with Disabilities. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas The Research and Training Center on Independent Living, January This report funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research adds to the Congressional report A Failure of Initiative by identifying major barriers faced during Hurricane Katrina by centers for independent living and emergency managers in responding to the needs of people with disabilities. U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy: Emergency Preparedness This page has resources to assist individuals, organizations, and employers create emergency preparedness plans that take into account the needs of people with disabilities. United Way of Greater Houston: After the Storm This pamphlet has tips on what to do immediately after an emergency/natural disaster/evacuation. Some of the contact information is local to Texas and the Houston area, but most of the pamphlet will be useful to all. Emergency Evacuation Chairs The following are a list of websites of manufactures and vendors who provide emergency evacuation chairs. Please note a listing here is not an endorsement; the sites below are offered for informational purposes only. Evac+Chair Stairway Evacuation Chair Garaventa Lift: Evacu-Trac Evacuation Chair LifeSlider McKinley Elevator Corporation: Evacuation Carriers Stryker Evacuation 5

6 The following books and flip cards are available for free loan from the PRC library. For more information, please see and click Borrow from Our Lending Library under PRC Quick Links. Books Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities: An Interagency Seminar of Exchange for Federal Managers: Summary Report. Washington, DC: Office of Disability Employment Policy, Emergency Preparedness Initiative Guide on the Special Needs of People with Disabilities for Emergency Managers, Planners and Responders. National Organization on Disability, Fire Safety for Wheelchair Users at Work and at Home. New York: United Spinal Association, Kailes, June Isaacson. Emergency Evacuation Preparedness: Taking Responsibility for your Safety: A Guide for People with Disabilities and Other Activity Limitations. Pomona, CA: Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions, Western University of Health Sciences, Also available at or as a PDF at Flip Cards Tips for First Responders for Seniors, People with Service Animals, People with Mobility Impairments, People who are Mentally Ill, People who are Blind or Visually Impaired, People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, People with Cognitive Disabilities. University of New Mexico School of Medicine/American Association on Health & Disability/New Mexico Governor s Commission on Disability/Office of Health Emergency Management New Mexico Department of Health, A collection of laminated flip cards on a ring. The information contained in this message is presented for the purpose of educating and informing you about paralysis and its effects. Nothing contained in this message should be construed nor is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider. Should you have any health care related questions, please call or see your physician or other qualified health care provider promptly. Always consult with your physician or other qualified health care provider before embarking on a new treatment, diet or fitness program. You should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this message. 6