SETTING THE STAGE:
THE IMPORTANCE OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY
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Dan Sutherland, DHS Officer for Civil Rights and
Civil Liberties, addressed the importance of emergency preparedness.
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The plenary sessions began with remarks from Daniel Sutherland,
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Officer for Civil Rights and Civil
Liberties. The purpose of Mr. Sutherland’s remarks was to “set the
stage” regarding the importance of developing, implementing, and
maintaining emergency preparedness plans for employees and customers with
disabilities.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) focuses on
mitigating the threat of terror in advance of emergencies by promoting the
concept of disaster-resistant communities. DHS has set an aggressive pace in
developing and managing national training and evaluation systems to design
curriculums, set standards, evaluate, and reward performance in local, state,
and federal training efforts. Federal agencies have responded favorably to
these and other initiatives by establishing and improving their respective
emergency preparedness plans. Additionally, through keen observation and
awareness, federal agencies and their employees are doing their parts in
combating terrorism. However, even the best security measures can be overcome,
so federal agencies and their employees must adequately prepare to address any
emergency situation.
In his presentation, Mr. Sutherland remarked generally about the
“terror” element that is ever-present since the events of September
11, 2001. However, he urged people to stand against fear, saying the best way
to do this is to be prepared. “If we are [fearful], they are winning,
giving them victory. [You] need to be doing what you’re doing, planning
and thinking ahead and be ready for what is coming. The job of preparedness is
not only the job of professionals. It is not just their job, but all our
responsibility to be prepared. And why is that? They can’t do everything,
be everywhere.”
Mr. Sutherland also commented on DHS’s goal of being a model
employer for people with disabilities, through the full implementation of
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. This is being
accomplished by improving internal and external communications, actively
recruiting people with disabilities, challenging DHS managers to provide
“reasonable accommodations,” and developing effective emergency
preparedness plans. As to the latter, he applauded ODEP’s efforts.
Nevertheless, Mr. Sutherland acknowledged that emergency
preparedness for people with disabilities deserves more attention for several
reasons. First, “if we in the federal workforce have an effective
emergency preparedness plan, it is going to make federal managers much more
comfortable hiring people with disabilities.” He explained that having
effective emergency plans reduces the barriers that people with disabilities
encounter in pursuing employment opportunities. Finally, Mr. Sutherland stated
that the challenges identified, and eventually eradicated, in emergency
preparedness planning for people with disabilities will have an immeasurable
positive impact on emergency planning overall. “The problems that people
with disabilities face in the context of emergency preparedness can shed so
much light on so many related problems. And, the solutions that we develop to
solve those problems can shed so much light on other situations.”
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