About the Center

The Disability Preparedness Center is focused on helping ensure that all individuals are included in the development of and inclusion in plans for protection from both natural and man-made emergencies.  In almost all cases, emergency planning, including evacuations and sheltering during natural disasters, attacks of terrorism, industrial and highway accidents has not taken into consideration the communication, transportation and medical needs of persons with disabilities, and other special populations.

During the attack on the World Trade Towers, the Pentagon and other events, it was painfully obvious that most organizations are ill prepared to provide the needed support for employees and other users of their facilities.  Stories are continuing to emerge of how people with disabilities attempted to evacuate from the buildings.  In some cases, the extraordinary acts of heroism have been described in attempts to assist people with disabilities, and in other cases no options were available.  

Also in the event of a natural disaster, few if any procedures are in place.  When a hurricane recently hit the southeastern United States, emergency evacuation transportation was dispatched for residents of a coastal community.  When the bus arrived, the driver found a group of individuals with physical disabilities who needed a special life-equipped bus in order to board, requiring the driver to leave the group at the side of the road to wait for suitable transportation.  Fortunately, this case was not life threatening, but it highlights an important message for emergency planning organizations.  It is essential to ensure that your emergency response plan considers persons with disabilities and other special needs.

The Disability Preparedness Center provides resources to assist local emergency planning organizations in the planning for individuals who need specialized communications, transportation, and medical supports.  In many cases, it is the communication with individuals with disabilities that is most crucial to successful emergency planning and implementation – from initial warnings, specific directions on how to shelter or evacuate, what personal items (like medicines and life supports) to take with them and most of all, how to communicate most effectively with individuals who are deaf, individuals with limited intellectual capacity and individuals who are easily upset, fearful or disturbed by emergency situations.

The Disability Preparedness Center cooperates with federal, State and local agencies who are responsible for emergency planning and management including the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Transportation, and other federal, State and local agencies. 

The Disability Preparedness Center has a wide variety of resources available including print and multi-media materials, bibliographical references, training materials and packages for training professionals on-site or through distance education.  In addition, customized technical assistance is available for organization that are evaluating and/or revising their emergency planning or procedures.  For more information and a free list of available services and training resources, contact us at info@disabilitypreparedness.org or call us at 202.338.7158 x201.

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Training Resources

The inclusion of people with disabilities in emergency preparedness plans, are not only important, but required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.  To insure the inclusion of people with disabilities in emergency preparedness plans, the Disabilities Preparedness Center has put together Emergency Preparedness Training Kits to assist organizations in developing comprehensive plans that take into account the unique needs of people with disabilities. The kits consist of a series of training options for emergency planners as they attempt to address the needs of people with disabilities in the event of emergencies.

Inclusive Emergency Preparedness Planning Guide

The guide leads organizations through a three-stage collaborative process assisting organizations with the process of creating a more inclusive emergency response system.  The guide emphasizes the categories that organizations may need to address in emergency preparedness plan and provides a tip sheet that outlines preliminary steps for inclusion of people with disabilities. This guide will identify key issues concerning the needs of people with disabilities when disasters strike that can assist in the development of effective strategies for proper emergency planning.  The guide is designed as a self-assessment instrument to determine if your current emergency plan identifies the needs of people with disabilities and guidance on revising or preparing a more inclusive emergency plan.

First Steps in Planning for People with Disabilities (1-2 hour Training)

First Steps is a presentation designed to identify the requirements, information and support needs of individuals with disabilities and to discuss options for inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the planning process.  Participants will explore what resources available, where you can access for more information. and gain useful information on the problems, procedures, and resources you need to consider when making your emergency plan more inclusive.  All participants will receive a packet of materials to assist in the development of an inclusive plan.

Interactive Seminar in Planning for People with Disabilities (Half day Training)

The Interactive Seminar includes the materials presented in First Steps, and a discussion that will stress the importance of planning, coordination, communications and cooperation between the special needs and emergency management communities. As a group, participants will examine case studies describing incidents where person’s with disabilities where not considered in emergency planning, and what needs to be done to ensure adequate planning.

Hands-on Workshop (Full day Training)

The Hands-on Workshop is designed to be a continuation of the Interactive Seminar that uses a variety of applications to review and modify existing emergency preparedness plans by addressing individual organizational issues and plans.  Participants will be encouraged to bring their own planning documents to use as a basis for the discussion. Participants will be provided with an emergency preparedness checklist to identify the areas that will be used most frequently in business, to identify opportunities for improving your current plan and begin working on a new plan incorporating the needs of people with disabilities.

Emergency Preparedness Training Simulation

This simulation is designed to evaluate how your organization would implement a Disaster Response Strategy to incorporate the needs of people with disabilities including, but not limited to, who engages in the Emergency Preparedness Team, what and how to communicate to employees, execution and adaptation of the evacuation plan including engagement of external resources. This simulation will enable your employees to develop “on the spot” decision-making skills that are required to adapt a plan to the constraints of an emergency situation.

On-site Technical Assistance

This is negotiated on-site technical assistance for emergency preparedness planning teams to assist in ensuring appropriate provisions are included for people with disabilities.  This intact team training is focused on assisting the planning team in a setting where issues can be openly debated, discussed, decided and evaluated by the team.

Resource & Materials Packages

A complete set of reference materials can be provided that includes reference materials, checklists, resource lists and sample planning documents for emergency planning team members.  These materials can be used individually or in a group discussion. 

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Additional Resources

These publications and sites are provided for your assistance but may not include publications and sites that are worthy.   We regret any omissions.

Training

• Independent Study Courses from FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute. At this site find courses (in PDF files) for a number of emergency management topics. You may enroll in courses, take final exams or do independent study.
  
  Programs for Reaching Hearing Impaired. The Tennessee Fire Marshal’s office offers a course for safety educators in reaching people with hearing disabilities in the event of fire.

Products

• Emergency Preparedness on the Job and Emergency Preparedness at Home for People with Disabilities. This two page sheet will provide guidelines for protecting yourself in your workplace or at home when disaster strikes.
   

• Earthquake Preparedness Video.  This is a 27-minute video on earthquake preparedness focusing on individual preparedness, neighborhood planning and vulnerable populations. Accompanied by a Program Guide for public presentation, including checklist and discussion guide.   Available in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Korean, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Tagalog and English open-captioned. For information, contact TODCO 230 4th St., San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 896-1981

• The American Red Cross offers an on-line kit for Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities to help persons with disabilities and their family members plan in the event of an emergency.  You can also contact your Local Red Cross chapters for more information on chemical emergencies, earthquakes, hurricanes, winter storms and general preparedness.

Articles

• Emergency Preparedness For People with Disabilities and other Special Needs: Another Look After Katrina Carl T. Cameron, Ph.D.,
  
  Disaster! This article in the November, 1994 issue of Mainstream Magazine deals with the gaps in emergency management related to people with disabilities.
  
  Coping With the Aftermath: How Does Someone With An Anxiety Disorder Cope In a Changed World?  Kathleen Henning, 9/19/01.
   

• Disaster Mitigation for Persons with Disabilities: Fostering a New Dialogue. A report by The Annenberg Washington Program in collaboration with The President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities by Annenberg Senior Fellow Peter David Blanck.

Websites

• The Community Preparedness Website Project -- www.preparenow.org.  This Website focuses on supporting the special needs of vulnerable populations in disasters. It includes a checklist for facility preparation & inventory of neighborhood resources and information on how to prepare for disaster for people with special medical needs.

• American Red Cross.--  www.redcross.org/ -- Disaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities Audio tapes.  Educator’s information, Disaster Preparedness for people with disabilities, Curricula for schools, videos and more.

• The Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Association, International (DERA). -- www.disasters.org/dera/dera.htm    “DERA was founded in 1962 to assist communities worldwide in disaster preparedness, response and recovery, and to serve as a professional association linking professionals, volunteers and organizations in all phases of emergency preparedness and management”.  This site also contains a calendar of conferences
  
  Federal Emergency Planning Agency (FEMA). www.fema.gov
   

• Documents titled: Access to Agency Programs for People With Disabilities, Fire Safety and the Disabled Program, Fire and the Elderly, and a Document titled Emergency Procedures for Employees with Disabilities in Office Occupancies at http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu
   

• Emergency Preparedness Information Exchange (EPIX) http://hoshi.cic.sfu.ca/epix/topics/training.html . Education, training, exercises and simulations.
  
  United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). www.epa.gov/ceppo . Preparedness - Emergency Planning, Communities Right to Know.
  
  Occupational and Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). www.osha.gov  
  
  National Organization for the Disabled. www.nod.org.   This website contains list of websites addressing disabled and emergency planning and other useful information for planning.
  
  Disabled People and DP2 Disaster Planning.  www.citycent.com/dp2/ This is a California website that deals with disabled and access in earthquakes; however it is useful information for other situations.
  
  eSight. Emergency Plans That Include Workers With Disabilities www.esight.org.
  
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