Emerging Issues

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the National Council on Disability work to improve programs, policies, education, and employment among various populations of people with disabilities in an ongoing effort to enhance the daily lives of Americans with disabilities. For example, the Office on Disability (OD) within HHS, created in 2002, strives to improve the overall health and wellness of persons with disabilities through the development and implementation of The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities¹⁵ and a comprehensive disability-based database that improves policy planning and impact, among other initiatives.

Along with ongoing issues in disability science, disaster preparation that includes evacuation, shelter, and recovery is an emergent issue for the 49.7 million people with disabilities living in the United States.¹⁶ In 2004, an executive order addressed the support, safety, and security of persons with disabilities in the event of natural and manmade disasters.¹⁷ Notable issues include insufficient inclusion of persons with disabilities in disaster management processes, training for first responders, county-level data to locate and evacuate persons with disabilities, and resources to meet disability needs during a disaster.¹⁸

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