Planning for inclusion? An assessment of Ontario's emergency preparedness guide for people with disabilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 101888
Author(s):  
Charlotte Pyke ◽  
Robert Wilton
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
People With Disabilities

Emergency planning for people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs to ensure inclusiveness

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Webster, JD
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Emergency Planning ◽  
Legal Advice ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
The Way

Recent investigations and litigation have prompted a shift in the way the field of emergency management plans for people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. The purpose of this article is to aid readers in understanding some of the legal and practical requirements that may apply to jurisdictions' emergency preparedness programs to ensure the ability of plans, planning efforts, programs, and services to meet the needs of people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. The cases of Communities Actively Living Independent and Free (CALIF) v. City of Los Angeles1 and Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled v. Bloomberg2 will be used as case studies. Note that this is not intended nor should it be construed as legal advice.

Emergency planning and people with disabilities: Massachusetts’ lessons learned

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin McGaffigan, MSW, MS, Public Policy ◽  
Chris Oliveira, BS ◽  
Diane Enochs, BA, MA
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Accessibility Barriers ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Hurricanes Katrina And Rita

Continued challenges responding to large-scale emergencies are recognized in the aftermath of events such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Elders and people with disabilities often included under the label of “vulnerable” or “special populations,” are especially hard hit given communication and accessibility barriers often faced even prior to an emergency. Approximately 15 percent of those living within our communities have disabilities, which jumps to 41 percent for those 65 years or older.1 The prevalence of functional limitations due to age or disability indicates the need for these factors to be accounted for in planning, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts at the national, state, and local level to ensure a truly effective emergency response system that meets the needs of all residents. To achieve this effort emergency management, public health, disability and elder stakeholders within Massachusetts joined together to identify the existing planning gaps and to explore potential solutions to support emergency preparedness so that emergency management systems are responsive to all individuals in the community, regardless of age or disability. The Commonwealth’s process and lessons learned are discussed later.

Emergency planning and people with disabilities: Massachusetts’ lessons learned

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-46
Author(s):  
Erin McGaffigan, MSW, MS, Public Policy ◽  
Chris Oliveira, BS ◽  
Diane Enochs, BA, MA
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Accessibility Barriers ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Hurricanes Katrina And Rita

Continued challenges responding to large-scale emergencies are recognized in the aftermath of events such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Elders and people with disabilities often included under the label of “vulnerable” or “special populations,” are especially hard hit given communication and accessibility barriers often faced even prior to an emergency. Approximately 15 percent of those living within our communities have disabilities, which jumps to 41 percent for those 65 years or older.1 The prevalence of functional limitations due to age or disability indicates the need for these factors to be accounted for in planning, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts at the national, state, and local level to ensure a truly effective emergency response system that meets the needs of all residents. To achieve this effort emergency management, public health, disability and elder stakeholders within Massachusetts joined together to identify the existing planning gaps and to explore potential solutions to support emergency preparedness so that emergency management systems are responsive to all individuals in the community, regardless of age or disability. The Commonwealth’s process and lessons learned are discussed later.

scholarly journals Lockdown-Related Disparities Experienced by People with Disabilities during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review with Thematic Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6178
Author(s):  
Tiago Jesus ◽  
Sutanuka Bhattacharjya ◽  
Christina Papadimitriou ◽  
Yelena Bogdanova ◽  
Jacob Bentley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Physical Distance ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Reduced Physical Activity

People with disabilities may be disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We synthesize the literature on broader health and social impacts on people with disabilities arising from lockdown-related measures. Methods: Scoping review with thematic analysis. Up to mid-September 2020, seven scientific databases and three pre-print servers were searched to identify empirical or perspective papers addressing lockdown-related disparities experienced by people with disabilities. Snowballing searches and experts’ consultation also occurred. Two independent reviewers took eligibility decisions and performed data extractions. Results: Out of 1026 unique references, 85 addressed lockdown-related disparities experienced by people with disabilities. Ten primary and two central themes were identified: (1) Disrupted access to healthcare (other than for COVID-19); (2) Reduced physical activity leading to health and functional decline; (3) From physical distance and inactivity to social isolation and loneliness; (4) Disruption of personal assistance and community support networks; (5) Children with disabilities disproportionally affected by school closures; (6) Psychological consequences of disrupted routines, activities, and support; (7) Family and informal caregiver burden and stress; (8) Risks of maltreatment, violence, and self-harm; (9) Reduced employment and/or income exacerbating disparities; and (10) Digital divide in access to health, education, and support services. Lack of disability-inclusive response and emergency preparedness and structural, pre-pandemic disparities were the central themes. Conclusions: Lockdown-related measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic can disproportionally affect people with disabilities with broader impact on their health and social grounds. Lack of disability-inclusive response and emergency preparedness and pre-pandemic disparities created structural disadvantages, exacerbated during the pandemic. Both structural disparities and their pandemic ramifications require the development and implementation of disability-inclusive public health and policy measures.

scholarly journals A ‘new normal’ following COVID-19 and the economic crisis: Using systems thinking to identify challenges and opportunities in disability, telework, and rehabilitation

Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46
Author(s):  
Tiago S. Jesus ◽  
Michel D. Landry ◽  
Karen Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Rehabilitation Service ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Rehabilitation Professionals ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that emerged in late 2019, and later become a global pandemic, has unleashed an almost unprecedented global public health and economic crisis. OBJECTIVE: In this perspective, we examine the effects of COVID-19 and identify a likely ‘new normal’ in terms of challenges and opportunities within the fields of disability, telework, and rehabilitation. METHODS: We use a systems thinking lens informed by recent empirical evidence and peer-reviewed qualitative accounts regarding the pandemic to identify emerging challenges, and pinpoint opportunities related to health and changing employment infrastructure of people with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals. RESULTS: From our interpretation, the key leverage points or opportunities include: (1) developing disability-inclusive public health responses and emergency preparedness; (2) enabling employment and telework opportunities for people with disabilities; (3) addressing the new requirements in rehabilitation service provision, including participating as essential team members in the care of people with infectious diseases such as COVID-19; (4) embracing the added emphasis on, and capacity for, telehealth; and (5) developing greater resilience, distance learning, and employability among the rehabilitation workforce. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has become increasingly challenging to the lives of people with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals; however, key challenges can be minimized and opportunities can be capitalized upon in order to ‘build back better’ after COVID-19.

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