Links with Information
for People with Disabilities
There are a number of organizations that have developed
emergency preparedness information specific persons with
disabilities or special needs.
American Red Cross
www.redcross.org
The American Red Cross has the following information available
on their web site for emergency preparedness that is specifically
related to persons with disabilities:
- Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities
(Booklet)
https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/inclusive-preparedness-resources.html
- This 48-page booklet is designed to help people who
have physical, visual, auditory or cognitive disabilities
to prepare for natural disasters and their consequences.
It can be downloaded from this Red Cross web site. The
booklet is available in English only.
- The booklet is also available for a small charge in
an audiocassette tape (English only). To obtain a copy,
contact the main Red Cross number listed below:
American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles
2700 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90057-3202
Phone: 213-739-5200
- Emergency Plan for People with Disabilities and Mobility
Issues
This brochure is can be downloaded from this labt.org
web site. See Home Page and click on “Get a Brochure.”
- Disaster Preparedness for Seniors By Seniors
https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/older-adults.html
- This several page pamphlet provides additional
information for the elderly and people with special
medical concerns that could hinder mobility during
a disaster. It can be downloaded for free from the
Red Cross web site.
- The pamphlet is available in the following languages:
English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog,
and Vietnamese.
- Additional Information on American Red Cross web
site that related to persons with disabilities:
Go to main web site at: http://www.redcross.org/.
Next click on “Disaster Services” and then
“Foreign Language Materials”
The American Red Cross has disaster preparedness materials
available on their web site for the below disability-related
topics. The materials are not all available in the same
foreign languages. To see what languages are available
for a specific topic, click on the “Foreign Language
Materials” link listed above.
- Earthquake Tips for People With Disabilities
- People Who Are Hearing Impaired
- People With Environmental Illness or Chemical Sensitivities
- People With Special Medical Needs
- People Who Use Life Support Systems
- People With Psychiatric Disabilities
- Helping Young Children Cope With Trauma
City of Los Angeles Department of Disability (DOD)
City
of Los Angeles Department of Disability (DOD)
http://disability.lacity.org/
213-202-2764 (Voice)
213-202-2755 (TTY)
The DOD web site has information on emergency preparedness
for people with disabilities, including a 46 page handbook
that can be downloaded for free. The handbook is easy to
read with large print and includes information that will
be of special interest to those with visual, and mobility
disabilities, owners of service animals and pets, persons
who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, and those with special
medical needs.
Living
Independently in Los Angeles (LILA)
LILA is a consumer-directed and regionally focused online
project to benefit people with disabilities living in Los
Angeles County. LILA uses a GIS-based (Geographic Information
Systems - a map formatting tool), interactive information
resource database, created by local residents with disabilities
using their personal "expert knowledge" to identify
and map local independent living resources. Through collaborations
with local governments and private non-profit community
service agencies, the LILA information system incorporates
a variety of databases relevant to the Los Angeles disability
and senior community. These may include the locations of
services and programs benefiting people with disabilities,
local businesses serving the community, accessibility features
of publicly subsidized housing, inclusive recreation programs,
independent living resource information, etc.
The LILA project's purpose is to empower disabled residents
of Los Angeles in their efforts to successfully and independently
integrate into the social, physical and political fabric
of their communities.
Center
for Disability Issues and the Health Professions (CDIHP)
http://www.cdihp.org
- Western University in Pomona, California established
CDIHP in 1998 in response to the concerns of the disability
community. The Center focuses on: 1) Improving the capabilities
of health care providers to meet the needs of people with
disabilities through the integration of disability
- CDIHP has many online resources, including a booklet,
“Emergency Evacuation Preparedness: A Guide for
People with Disability and Other Activity Limitations.”
This 36-page guide focuses on people with disabilities
and activity limitations successfully evacuating buildings.
Its goal is to help people with disabilities strengthening
their evacuation preparedness.
- This material is available online on the above web site
or for a hard copy, can be obtained for $24.00 from CDHIP.
Contact: 909.623.6116
Disabled
People and Disaster Planning (DP2)
DP2 was a group of people primarily from Los Angeles County
who met during 1996 and 1997 and formulated recommendations
to reduce or eliminate problems with accessibility that
many disabled people experienced after the Northridge Earthquake
of 1994. Within the group were individuals with disabilities
and individuals from the disaster planning and response
professions.
Although DP2 is no longer a committee, the web site is
maintained by two members of DP2 in order to continue disseminating
information to interested people in Los Angeles and other
localities subject to major earth movements. The web site
contains the group's recommendations, as well as other information
relevant to assisting people with disabilities prepare for
and cope with disastrous earthquakes. From time to time,
new information may be added.
Contact information for DP2: Robert Gorski, 626-744-4782
(voice and TDD)
626-744-7035 (fax); E-mail: rgorski@ci.pasadena.ca.us
Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
http://www.fema.gov
- FEMA has a one page sheet with tips on disaster preparedness
for people with disabilities on their web site. Available
in English only
The
National Organization on Disability (NOD)
http://www.nod.org/emergency
- NOD launched it Emergency Preparedness Initiative in
the wake of the September 11th terrorist attack. The objectives
of the initiative are: 1) to make sure that the special
needs of people with disabilities are adequately addressed
prior to an emergency in order to minimize the adverse
impact on them and their communities and 2) to ensure
that people with disabilities are included in the emergency
planning process at all levels of government so they can
offer their insights, knowledge, and resourcefulness.
- As a result of the initiative, NOD developed a “Guide
on the Special Needs of People with Disabilities”
for emergency managers, planners & responders that
highlights key disability concerns to those officials
and experts responsible for emergency planning in their
communities, and assists them in developing plans that
will take into account the needs and insights of people
with disabilities before, during and after emergencies.
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