Setting the Stage

1. Setting the Stage Preparing to meet the needs of the whole community July, 2012

2. What is the “Whole Community” Concept? • Focus on enabling participation in emergency management activities from a wider range of players from the private and non profit sectors, as well as a wide range of individual, diverse community members, in conjunction with participation of Federal, state, Tribal and local government partners. • Non-governmental organizations • Private companies • Individual citizens – including those who are often underrepresented or excluded • Agencies that serve individuals who are often underrepresented or excluded

3. What is an Access or Functional Need? • Individuals with needs that can be accommodated with actions, services, equipment and modifications including physical/architectural, programmatic, and communications modifications. • Some individuals with access and functional needs have legal protections including, but not limited to, the right to freedom from discrimination based on race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency), sex, familial status, age, disability and economic status.

4. What is a Disability? • A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of the individual • A person who has a record of such an impairment • Someone who is regarded as having such an impairment • Major life activities include (but are not limited to): • Caring for oneself, talking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working

5. Disability Types • Mobility • Cognitive or Intellectual • Mental Health • Hearing • Vision • Speech • Health Maintenance

6. Disability Facts • 56.4 Million Americans (20% of the population) report having a disability • 12% of all children birth-18 years old • 10% of all adults 18-64 • 38% of all seniors over the age of 65 • 11 million people over the age of 6 need assistance with activities of daily living • There are 650 million people with disabilities globally • Many individuals have more than one disability • “Hidden disabilities”

7. Concepts of Disability • Differences in perception of disabilities and access or functional needs • Medical model • Cultural model • Equal Access and Full Inclusion: not something extra • Universal Access • Many individuals do not identify as being a person with a disability

8. What are Functional Needs Support Services (FNSS)? Those actions, services, accommodations, and programmatic, architectural, and communication modifications that a covered entity must undertake or provide to afford individuals with disabilities a full and equal opportunity to use and enjoy programs, services, activities, goods, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations in the most integrated setting, in light of the exigent circumstances of the emergency and the legal obligation to undertake advance planning and prepare to meet the disability-related needs of individuals who have disabilities as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, P.L. 110-325, and those associated with them. -Department of Justice

9. Who needs Functional Needs Support Services? • Children and adults requiring FNSS may have: • Physical disabilities • Sensory disabilities • Mental health, cognitive and/or intellectual disabilities • Others who may benefit from FNSS include: • Women in late stages of pregnancy • Seniors • People needing bariatric equipment, transportation or communications assistance.

10. Applicable Laws • Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended • Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, as amended • Executive Order 13347: Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness • Fair Housing Act of 1968, as amended • Telecommunications Act of 1996, as amended • Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA) of 2006

11. Key Principles • Self-determination • No “one-size-fits-all” • Equal opportunity • Full inclusion • Integration • Physical access • Equal access • Effective communication • Program modifications • No charge

12. CMIST Framework for Needs Identification • Communication • Maintaining Health • Independence • Safety, Support services and Self Determination • Transportation

13. Communication • Auxiliary aids and services • Alternate formats • Plain language • Who benefits? • People with disabilities that affect communication • People with limited English proficiency • Everyone in the community

14. Maintaining Health • Health maintenance needs – can be done at home, with or without support or equipment • Acute Medical Needs – Needs requiring the support of trained medical professionals • Preventing decomposition • What supports and supplies may be needed? • Access to equipment (example: CPAP machine) • Access to consumable medical supplies (example: medication, catheters, dressing) • Personal assistance services • Specialized nutrition and hydration needs

15. Independence • Without Functional Needs Support Services, some individuals may not be able to maintain their independence throughout a disaster and may decompensate, causing them to be placed in more restrictive environments. • What supports and supplies may be needed? • Physical/architectural, programmatic or communications access • Access to equipment (example: Wheelchair, communication devices) • Personal assistance services • Integrated environments

16. Safety, Support Services and Self-Determination • Many people know what supports, if any, they need in a certain situation; however, some may not. • Subject matter expertise • What supports and supplies may be needed? • Respect for personal choices • Personal Assistance Services • Assistance accessing programs • Supervision • Safety from abuse, neglect and exploitation

17. Transportation • Who may need assistance? • People who do not drive, do not have a vehicle or rely on public transportation • People who need accessible transportation • People who live in areas where roads are blocked or damaged • What may be needed? • Accessible vehicles • Transporting equipment or service animals • Information in alternate formats or other languages to know when to evacuate, where to go and what transportation services are available

18. Service Delivery Systems • Networks of organizations provide services to people with access and functional needs in the community on a daily basis. • Many fields of service (children, veterans, people with disabilities, seniors, criminal justice, etc) • Services are provided by • Public/governmental agencies • Nonprofit agencies • Private Sector agencies • Associations of individuals, volunteers, family members

19. Chicago Area Snapshot • People over 65 make up 10.3% of the population • People under 18 years make up 23.1% of the population • Foreign born persons make up 21.1% of the population • People who speak a language other than English at home make up 35.3% of the population • Persons living below the poverty level make up 20.9% of the population • In IL, nearly 1.4 million people over the age of 16 have a disability

20. Statistical Snapshot • More than 3 million individuals are experiencing homelessness, including 1.3 million children • 62% of US households include at least one pet • 20-40% of US citizens attend religious services weekly • 1 in every 31 American adults is in prison, on probation, or on parole • Over 17,000 people in Illinois live in assisted living facilities • Over 16,500 people in Illinois live in other non-institutionalized group settings

21. Language Guidance • People first language • Avoid terms with very negative connotations • “Uses a wheelchair” vs. “Confined to a wheelchair” • “Has a disability” vs. “Suffers from a disability” • Focus on what the person CAN do • “Uses a communication board” vs. “Non-verbal” • The word “special” • Euphemisms

22. Contact Information Jessica Mitchell Regional Disability Integration Specialist FEMA Region V 312-408-5499 (Office) 312-576-2624 (Cell) jessica.mitchell@fema.dhs.gov