Update on individuals with disabilities in emergency preparedness

Citation

(2006), "Update on individuals with disabilities in emergency preparedness", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 15 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2006.07315cab.003

Update on individuals with disabilities in emergency preparedness

In July, the US Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties submitted a report to the President documenting the progress made by the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities in overcoming the complex challenges people with disabilities face in times of emergency.

The report documents results achieved and makes eight recommendations that the council believes will better integrate people with disabilities into the nation’s disaster and emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts:

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  increase the rate of participation of people with disabilities in emergency planning;

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  increase the rate of participation of people with disabilities in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery drills and exercises;

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  direct homeland security funding to promote the full integration of people with disabilities in all aspects of emergency preparedness, response, and recovery;

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  urge federal building officials and managers to include the concerns of federal employees and visitors with disabilities in developing emergency plans and continuity of government plans;

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  ensure that during an emergency telecommunications relay services personnel and public safety answering point personnel and captioners can travel to and from their designated facilities to provide continuity of services for persons with hearing and speech disabilities;

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  integrate the needs of individuals with disabilities into the National Response Plan and the National Incident Management System;

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  coordinate evidence-based federal research into the effectiveness of audio, visual, and/or tactile protocols and technologies related to emergency preparedness, alerting, warning, and response for individuals with disabilities; and

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  ensure comprehensive medical approaches that address the health care and medical needs of individuals with disabilities across the lifespan of an emergency event.

The report is available at: www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/CRCL_IWDEP_Annual Report_2005.pdf.