April 6, 2011

Most of you have already seen the news that the DPC has sent a 30 day ADA Title II Demand letter to the Governor regarding continuing failure to provide American Sign Language Interpreters at emergency preparedness press events.

Some may say that focusing on the March 27 announcement when there wasn't any radiation problem with the water supply is catigating people when they are delivering good news.   We look at every event as announcing a potential disaster that could continue to enfold.  They all provide training opportunities to get it  right.  The more we see the Commonwealth not getting it right, the more concerned & frightened we becomes.   

As Fred Sampson used to feint "Oh, it's the Big One".  We never really know, do we?

Editorial: Have You Noticed?

Have you noticed how much of this issues includes materials from FEMA.  Unheard of a year ago, FEMA now is like an extension of the staff of BCIL, NCD, AAPD, ARC, etc.  The agency is acting like its one of us.

Don't underestimate the power of person to make change!  In this case it's actually 2 people.  One is FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and the other is Marcie Roth.  Marcie provides the energy, ideas, and enthusiasm.  Mr. Fugate provides the access and the authority to implement the ideas.   

Congratulations to both.

So Marcie, what's the timetable and plan for kicking butt in the states?

Bill Allan

From the Net: Technology Survey  

On March 16, 2011, the FCC's Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EAAC) released a national on-line survey to determine the most effective and efficient technologies and methods by which persons with disabilities may access Next Generation 9-1-1 emergency services systems.  Among other things, the survey asks about accessing emergency services via video, text, and voice.  The results of the survey will inform the EAAC as it develops recommendations for the FCC to draft rules to ensure that people with disabilities can access NG 9-1-1 services.  The survey is available in English, Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL) video).

This survey will be available until April 24, 2011.  We encourage people with disabilities to complete this survey, and share information about the survey withother people with disabilities and organizations that represent persons with disabilities.

Link to the survey in English and ASL:

http://fcc.eaac.sgizmo.com/s3

Link to the survey in Spanish:

Old News:  LA Judge Rules

Federal judge rules LA emergency evacuation program discriminates against disabled people

Megan McKee at 10:41 AM ET

 A federal judge of the US District Court of the Central District of California on February 11, 2011  held that the city of Los Angeles violated the Americans With Disabilities Act [text] by not accounting for people with disabilities in the city's emergency disaster planning. Judge Consuelo B. Marshall [official website] stated that it is the duty of the city to anticipate the needs of its citizens in a state of emergency, and to minimize last minute, individualized requests by persons with disabilities. Marshall ruled that Los Angeles' emergency preparedness program fails to proactively address the needs of all of its citizens.

    The City provides a comprehensive emergency preparedness program to the general public but it denies individuals with disabilities meaningful access to the program while the benefits of the program remain open and easily accessible to other residents. Because of the City's failure to address their unique needs, individuals with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to harm in the event of an emergency or disaster. The City's practice of failing to address the needs of individuals with disabilities discriminates against such individuals by denying them meaningful access to the City's emergency preparedness program.

Shawna L. Parks, counsel to the plaintiffs, also stated that the decision is not just a victory for people with disabilities and seniors but for all Los Angeles residents who need to know that the city is prepared when disaster strikes. City officials have been ordered to meet with the parties that brought the lawsuit within three weeks to come up with a plan that better accounts for all. This is the first decision of its type in the nations history.

This federal class action lawsuit was brought on behalf of all people with disabilities in Los Angeles, which is estimated to be around 800,000 individuals. The complaint was filed in January 2009 by Audrey Harthorn and a nonprofit independent living center located in downtown Los Angeles, Communities Actively Living Independent and Free [official website]. The plaintiffs are represented by Disability Rights Advocates [official website] and the Disability Rights Legal Center [official website]. Advocates stated that the need for a plan encompassing the disabled was highlighted during Hurricane Katrina, as mortality rates among the disabled and seniors were drastically disproportionate.

National Commission on Children and Disasters Hails Obama Administration Initiatives

The Obama Administration announced today at a public meeting held by the National Commission on Children and Disasters that it is moving forward on initiatives to implement recommendations contained in the Commission's 2010 Report to the President and Congress. 

Dabney Kern, Senior Director, Response Policy, National Security, told the Commission that the White House has formed an interagency working group to regularly brief the National Security Staff and Domestic Policy Council on progress to improve care for children before, during and after disasters. The group also will focus on strengthening policies to meet housing assistance needs, speed the reunification of unaccompanied children, evacuate and transport children with disabilities and medical needs, address mental health needs, and improve school preparedness.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate indicated his support for incorporating children into the front-end of disaster planning and developing indicators that help states and communities measure how well they are meeting the needs of children.  

Learn to Fish: National Fire Protection  

Sign-up to receive e-ACCESS, a quarterly newsletter designed to help reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life for people with disabilities.

More than 43 million Americans have a disability. The identity of the group of Americans with disabilities is constantly changing - at any moment we ourselves could become part of this group, for maybe a short time or maybe for a long time.

FlyerSafety at home

NEW! People with disabilities who live in mid-level or high-rise apartment buildings face unique challenges in ensuring their safety in an emergency. Download a flyer (PDF, 200 KB), which includes tips for working with building management, the local fire department, and other residents on safe evacuation and also provides information on evacuation aids and emergency preparation.

Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide

Evacuation GuideNFPA's Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide for People with Disabilities was developed with input from the disability community. It  provides information on the five general categories of disabilities (mobility, visual, hearing, speech, and cognitive) and the four elements of evacuation information that occupants need (notification, way finding, use of the way, and assistance).

Planning Guide 

The Guide includes a checklist that building services managers and people with disabilities can use to design a personalized evacuation plan. The annexes give government resources and text based on the relevant code requirements and ADA criteria.

"Disability Prepared"  Wants Your Best Practices

You can now contribute your own expertise and experiences to help decrease the impact of disasters on vulnerable populations.

How? Get involved with the new interactive website,  www.disabilityprepared.ku.edu, on disaster management for people with disabilities.  It's a fast, free information clearinghouse where peers can network and share best practices in real time.

The site is created and administered by the staff at the Research and Training Center on Independent Living at the University of Kansas. Our purpose is to help others discover what is new and working well so it can be duplicated and encourage us to continue to innovate in this field.

We invite those in emergency management and related fields to share what practices, plans, flyers, and resources have worked for them. Plus, what are the current challenges faced in addressing the disaster-related needs of people with disabilities? We need to hear from you and learn from your successes! Please tell us where you have found the gaps to be for people with disabilities.

Registration on the site's forum is free. There you can discuss specific issues and exchange detailed information. Also, join us on scheduled live discussions on the upcoming forum chat feature.

You can also participate through our Facebook or Twitter pages. Links to those pages are on the home page. 

To get the information flowing, we'd appreciate your help in spreading the news about this site on your list-servs, newsletters, and in other communications you may have with people in the emergency management, health, safety, and disabilities fields.  

We look forward to hearing from you! Let's start sharing.

www.disabilityprepared.ku.edu

Cat Howland, Project Manager

Tiffany Huggard-Lee, Forum Designer.