| Assisting
People With Disabilities In A Disaster
The National Organization on Disability (NOD
http://www.nod.org)
posted information to their web site on September 12, 2001
regarding Disaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities.
The following information is excerpted from this site by the
Great Lakes ADA Center and forwarded to you for your information:
The American Red Cross presents this 1996 49-page color booklet
as a pdf file on its website. It provides assessment exercises,
supply checklists, and tips for establishing support networks.
http://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/disability.pdf
(PDF Document....not available on-line in any other format)
at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California,
announces a new 36 page guide to help people with disabilities
be better prepared for large or small-scale emergencies. This
guide helps people take responsibility for their own safety
during emergencies and evacuations and work effectively with
first responders.
This Guide is available Online in pdf form
or order a hard copy by calling (909) 469-5380. http://www.cdihp.org
Assisting People With Disabilities
In A Disaster
The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) offers
these suggestions to keep in mind when making emergency preparations
for people with disabilities. http://www.fema.gov
The Illinois Assistive Technology
Project has complied an excellent article for planning
your evacuation and using evacuation chairs. Be sure to see:
http://www.iltech.org
Disaster Preparedness for People
with Disabilities
Although these "Tip Sheets" focus on earthquake
safety, they havesignificant applicability for all types of
disaster preparedness for people with disabilities. Much of
the information is also helpful in preparing for emergencies
and disasters such as power outages, fires, floods, hurricanes,
nuclear power plant accidents, tornados, tsunamis, volcanoes,
winter storms and very cold or very hot weather. This website
also provides links to other publications on disaster preparedness.
http://www.jik.com/disaster.html
DP2: Disabled People and Disaster
Planning
The information on this website was compiled by a California
groupaddressing accessibility problems that many people with
disabilitiesexperienced after the Northridge Earthquake of
1994. Within the group were individuals with disabilities
and individuals from the disaster planning and response professions.
Although this information originally addresses earthquakes,
it also applies to other kinds of disaster preparedness. It
covers:
- How to prepare for people with
disabilities when a disaster is predicted
- How to make emergency shelters more accessible
- How to train rescue workers and law enforcement
to effectively assist people with disabilities
- How to evacuate wheelchair users
- How to disseminate information to people
with disabilities after a disaster
- How to make services accessible after
a disaster http://www.citycent.com/dp2/
- Disaster Planning Information and
Suggestions for Persons with Disabilities and Those Assisting
Them
Tempe's Fire Safety
for People with Disabilities Provided by the City of Tempe
website, this document offers fire safetysuggestions for people
with different kinds of disabilities: mobilityimpairment,
visual impairments, hearing impairment and deafness, andcognitive
disabilities. It also advises what to do with assistive devices
in the event of fire, and emphasizes the importance of evacuating
assistance animals with their owners. http://www.tempe.gov
Basic Tips in Emergency Preparedness
for Seniors and People with Disabilities: This Web page provides
some checklists and useful Q & A from the Bay Area Emergency
Preparedness Coalition. http://www.preparenow.org
Disaster Preparedness Guide
for Persons with Special NeedsThis guide from the Houston
Mayor's office provides a pretty comprehensive review of checklists
and preparations to make in advance of, or during, a disaster
situation. http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/OEM/splneeds/
People with disabilities who have service animals need to
plan for animal safety as well. This resource covers strategy
based on location, emergency contacts, the availability of
community disaster assistance, evacuation planning, rescue
and supply kit checklists, behavioral warning signs, and emergency
preparedness training for animals. http://www.cyberpet.com/cyberdog/articles/general/artad1d.htm
http://www.helpinganimals.com/animalsHome_hurricaneseason.asp
PETA offers video-streams in 3 formats educating site visitors
how to plan to safely evacuate animals during a disaster.
The American Veterinary Medical Association website provides
excerpts from its publication, "Saving the Whole Family",
a guide to emergencypreparedness for animals. It covers contact
lists, kits, supplies andrecords to prepare; and identification
for doors, windows, and animal tags. http://www.avma.org
Disaster! by Douglas Lathrop, Mainstream
MagazineThis article from the November, 1994 issue of Mainstream
Magazine discusses the shortcomings of emergency management
agencies in assisting people with disabilities, and what we
need to think about in order to best help ourselves during
times of crisis. http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topics/independentliving/disaster.htm
Earthquake!, by Jim Hammitt,
Mainstream MagazineThis May, 1994 article describes the experiences
of people with disabilities during and after the Northridge,
CA earthquake in January, 1994. The obstacles Northridge residents
with disabilities encountered when trying to access relief
services indicated a need for better emergency management
solutions. This job requires the initiative and participation
of people with disabilities themselves. http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topics/independentliving/quake.htm
Virginia Woman Pioneers Adapted
Fire Extinguisher This article from the Muscular
Dystrophy Association describes a new fire extinguisher that
can be easily operated by people with mobility, visual or
cognitive disabilities. The project was spearheaded by a woman
who uses a wheelchair, who lectures on home and fire safety
for people with disabilities. http://www.mdausa.org/publications/Quest/q66inventor.html
"Coping with Disaster: Suggestions
for Helping Children with Cognitive Disabilities"
material is available on Administration for Children and Families
(ACF) website and Administration on Developmental Disabilities
(ADD) Website.
The material could be found at "What's
New" section of Administration on Developmental Disabilities
(ADD) website : http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/add/Whats.htm
and at ACF site: http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/sept11/public.htm
Disaster Mitigation for
Persons with Disabilities: Fostering a New Dialogue A short
1995 Annenberg Washington Program report by Professor Peter
Blanck of the University of Iowa. It outlines seven points
of focus for improving disaster relief strategies for people
with disabilities. http://www.annenberg.nwu.edu/pubs/disada/
Offline Publications and Training
that can be obtained via written request, etc.)
- Emergency Procedures for Employees with
Disabilities in Office Occupancies
- The United States Fire Administration
(USFA) offers a booklet of ideas and solutions for workplace
emergency management for employees with disabilities. http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fserd/dis_a64.htm
(Limited copies available from the Great Lakes ADA Center
by e-mail at gldbtac@uic.edu
or by phone at 800-949-4232 (IL,IN,MI, MN,OH,WI)
- Preparing for Emergencies: A Checklist
for People with Mobility Problems
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) and the American Red Cross compiled this 4-page color
brochure to inform people with mobility impairments about
what to do before, during and after disasters. http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fserd/dis_a66.htm
- Fire Safety for People with Disabilities
- The National Fire Protection Association
of Quincy, MA offers a brochure on fire safety concerns
for people with disabilities. http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fserd/dis_a65.htm
- Program for Reaching the Hearing Impaired
- The Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office offers a course
for safety educators in reaching people with hearing disabilities
in the event of a fire. http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fserd/dis_a72.htm
This information was compiled by:
National Organization on Disability
910 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Suite 600Washington, DC 20006
(202) 293-5960 ability@nod.org
They are not responsible for the information that is contained
within these documents and/or articles. |
