Organizations
And Emergency Preparedness for Individuals with Disabilities
Part III: Resources -- Plus Web Exclusive, Resources
and Links
by
Lance H. Hegland
Over the past two months,
we have looked at the reasons for, and tips toward, emergency preparedness
planning targeting individuals with disabilities. Notably, the
President issued an Executive Order on July 22nd instructing Federal
agencies to examine this topic. This month we will briefly outline
a few key resources, which may help you develop, evaluate, and
implement your plan. At this time, we have received and will pass
along important information regarding local experiences, guidebooks,
sample plans, equipment, and supplies. In the future, if you happen
upon any consultants and /or trainers, please feel free to contact
us.
However, before we discuss
resources, I would like to thank the generous contribution and
support of the staff at the Hennepin County Government Center as
well as 3M. I would specifically like to thank Ms. Roberta Haight,
the Administrative Security Manager for Hennepin County Property
Services; Mr. James Ramnaraine, the ADA Coordinator for Hennepin
County Human Resources (612-348-7741); Mr. Ed Nelson, the Chair
for the 3M Disability Advisory Committee (651-731-4040); and Mr.
Steve Roberts, Manager of the Research and Development Division
of 3M's Emergency Health Services (651-733-2980). They have provided
invaluable input and feedback regarding their emergency planning
experiences. If you have any specific questions regarding their experiences,
please feel free to contact them.
Despite my inability to
include some of their feedback in last month's article, I would
like to briefly mention it here. Many of the points revealed had
already been included in our previous articles. But, I found the
tip of "networking, networking, networking" popping
up several times. For example, many cited the tremendous value received
from creating resource and planning networks consisting of people
with disabilities, co-workers/neighbors, supervisors/managers, executive
management, as well as external peers, interested parties, and professional
organizations (e.g., general disability-related organizations, building/facilities
managers, building/facilities engineers, human resource professionals,
occupational health/workplace safety specialists, emergency response/public
safety personnel, disaster relief organizations, and so on). Another
challenge cited was identifying individuals who may need assistance.
Both organizations seemed to notify everyone that assistance was
available, then requested "self-disclosure" from individuals
desiring that assistance.
Now onto discussing resources.
We have prepared a special "web
exclusive" for this topic on the Access Press website [www.accesspress.org].
This "web exclusive" will contain links to detailed resources;
whereas, our print version will identify contact information for
several general resources. Those resources are as follows:
Ready.gov and the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security 800-BE-READY
United States Fire Administration(301) 447-1000
United
States Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy
Voice: (202) 693-7880
TTY: (202) 693-7881
Some local chapters of The American National Red Cross [(202) 303-4498],
such as the one located in Minneapolis, offer emergency preparation
training specifically for individuals with disabilities. Please call
the Red Cross to locate the chapter nearest you. In Minneapolis,
contact Mr. Bill Nolan at 612-252-1026. The St. Paul chapter may
be offering training in the near future. To find out more, contact
Ms. Gretchen Ambrosier, the St. Paul Area Community Outreach Coordinator,
at 651-291-4669.
Information regarding
workplace planning and adaptive equipment for use by individuals
with disabilities during an emergency, contact the Job Accommodation
Network (JAN) 800-526-7234 (V/TTY) http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu.
Information regarding requirements for evacuation routes, alarms,
elevators, and areas of rescue assistance is available from The Access
Board [Voice (800) 872-2253 / TTY (800) 993-2822].
As always, if you have
any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me via telephone
(952) 401-9808 or e-mail lhegland@mn.rr.com.
