• Emergency Managers, Responders, Service & Care Providers
• Emergency Managers & First Responders
• Service & Care Providers
• Transportation & Emergencies
• Disability Law: Know your Responsibilities

Emergency Managers, Responders, Service & Care Providers

Whether an emergency is caused by natural forces or by a terrorist attack, persons with a disability will probably require assistance. Some physical disabilities may be obvious while others, such as mental illness or cognitive disabilities, may not be obvious. Every person and every disability is unique. Respecting people with disability and treating them with dignity must be part of the response.

Emergency planners and first responders must consider the unique needs of seniors, people with service animals, people with mobility impairments, people who are mentally ill, people who are blind or visually impaired, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and people with cognitive disabilities. Identifying these people, whether in the community or in the workplace, is a first step. Including them in emergency planning activities and emergency drills are ways to incorporate their needs into emergency plans. Proactive efforts can identify the resources that may be needed to respond to an emergency. Develop a network to include disability and advocacy groups in your community or workplace to identify the needs of people with disabilities and the resources necessary to meet their needs in an emergency.

The following web sites have more information for Emergency Managers and First Responders:

Please note: The Web sites listed below are not federal government websites, and may not necessarily operate under the same laws, regulations, and policies as federal websites.

• Guide for Emergency Managers, Planners & Responders
  National Organization on Disability’s guide on accessible emergency preparedness planning.
• S.A.F.E.T.Y. First
  Easter Seals' initiative on accessible emergency evacuations.
• Enabling Safe Evacuations for Employees with Disabilities
  Center for Universal Design's guidelines for accessible emergency evacuations.
• Preparing for Disaster
  Center for an Accessible Society's accessible emergency preparedness planning initiative.
• DP2: Disabled People and Disaster Planning
  DP2 is a comprehensive accessible emergency evacuation planning.
• Emergency Preparedness on the Job (PDF) (2 pp, 115 K) and Emergency Preparedness at Home (PDF) (2 pp, 123 K)
  National Center for Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities' initiative on accessible emergency preparedness planning.
• Evacuation and Accommodation of People with Disabilities
  Job Accommodation Network's Project Safe EV-AC, an initiative that promotes accessible emergency evacuations.
• Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities: An Interagency Seminar of Exchange for Federal Managers
  Summary of the proceedings from the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) on December 2-3, 2003, at the Washington, DC headquarters. This report is meant to serve as a source of practical information on developing, implementing, and maintaining emergency preparedness plans for people with disabilities.
• Tips for First Responders (PDF) (23 pp, 270 K)
  Field guide for first responders on how to appropriately deal with rescues involving people with disabilities.
• An ADA Guide for Local Governments-Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to People with Disabilities
  Produced by the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, this guide gives suggestions to emergency managers and planners in charge of making local government emergency preparedness and response programs accessible to people with disabilities.
• Emergency Preparation for Special Populations: Pediatric Patients
  Tips to help organizations make sure their emergency management plans meet the needs of vulnerable pediatric patients.
• PandemicFlu.gov (http://www.pandemicflu.gov/) includes extensive information about pandemic influenza, tracks confirmed cases of avian influenza, details global activities, and provides planning guidance for individuals, businesses, schools, and communities.

Resources for Emergency Managers

• ICC Chairman Daniel Sutherland's Testimony Before the Senate Special Committee on Aging
• Daniel Sutherland's Keynote Address at the National Hurricane Conference.
  Speech in HTML
  Speech in PDF (7 pp, 191 K)
  Slides in PPT (20 pp, 1.3 MB)