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Integrating Equal Access Throughout Training and Exercises

Integrating Equal Access Throughout Training and Exercises. May 2014.

keane-mcclure
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Integrating Equal Access Throughout Training and Exercises

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  1. Integrating Equal Access Throughout Training and Exercises May 2014

  2. “It is time children, people with disabilities or any other segment of our communities who have traditionally been underserved, to be more fully and consistently integrated into preparedness and planning efforts at every level of government.“ “My experience tells me if we waitand plan for people with disabilitiesafter we write the basic plan, we fail.” Craig Fugate FEMA Administrator

  3. Office of Disability Integration and Coordination Mission Statement TheOffice of Disability Integration and Coordination leads FEMA’s commitment to achieving universally accessible, survivor centric, fully inclusive emergency management. This requires integrating the whole community inclusive of people with disabilities, people with access and functional needs, first responders, community partners and across government to achieve program, physical, and effective communication access throughout all FEMA programs, services, activities and functions before, during, and after disasters.

  4. Our motto: “Baking it in, not layering it on”

  5. Disability Inclusive Emergency Management Timeline: • 2004 Executive Order 13347 establishing the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities • 2006 PKEMRA disability requirements established • 2007 Disability Coordinator hired • 2009 Senior Advisor to the Administrator appointed • 2010 Office of Disability Integration and Coordination established • 2010 First RDISs hired • 2011 First deployments • Total deployments 2011-2014: 65 • 2013 Disability Integration Advisor (DIA) Cadre established

  6. Disability Integration Advisor Cadre • Total: 75+ • 30 DIA FTE • 13 PFT (1 HQ, 10 RDIS, 2 other) • 9 HQ CORE • 5 IM CORE • 3 IMAT CORE • 45 DIA Reservists • 5 Lead Advisors • 25 Advisors • 15 Sign Language Interpreters • Disaster Specific Local Hires • Federal partners surge force

  7. Federal Laws Prohibiting Discrimination in Emergency Programson the Basis of Disability • Rehabilitation Act of 1973 • Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 • Stafford Act of 1988 • Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 • Fair Housing Act Amendments of 1988 • Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (EHA) of 1975 • Telecommunications Act of 1996 • Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010

  8. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 • The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. It also applies to the United States Congress. • To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability or have a relationship or association with an individual with a disability.

  9. Definition of Disability • A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual; • A record of such an impairment; or • Being regarded as having such an impairment • This does not apply to impairments that are transitory and minor. A transitory impairment is an impairment with an actual or expected duration of 6 months or less.

  10. Definition of Disability (continued) Major life activities: • Include but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working. Major bodily functions : • Include but not limited to, functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.

  11. Disability Facts • US Census reports from 2010 identify 303,858,000 civilians living in the community, 56,672,000 of which were individuals with disabilities-a prevalence rate of 18.7 percent. Among individuals with disabilities, 38,284,000 had severe disabilities • There are an additional 2 million people with disabilities living in nursing homes and institutions, for a total of 59 million Americans with disabilities, or 20% of the US population. • There are one billion people with disabilities globally

  12. NMSZ Percentage of People With Disabilities

  13. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 • The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects the civil rights of persons with disabilities. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by the federal government, federal contractors, and by recipients of federal financial assistance. • Any recipient or sub-recipient of federal funds is required to make their programs accessible to individuals with disabilities. Its protections apply to ALL programs and businesses that receive ANY federal funds. • This applies to all elements of physical/architectural, programmatic and communication accessibility in all services and activities conducted by or funded by FEMA.

  14. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Section 504 • Section 504 states that "no qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under" any program or activity that either receives Federal financial assistance or is conducted by any Executive agency or the United States Postal Service. • Requirements include reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities; program accessibility; effective communication with people who have hearing or vision disabilities; and accessible new construction and alterations. • Each agency is responsible for enforcing its own regulations. Section 504 may also be enforced through private lawsuits.

  15. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Section 508 • Section 508 requires that employees and and individuals with disabilities who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities. • Section 508 also requires federal agencies to ensure that all electronic and information technology they procure, develop, maintain, or use complies with the accessibility standards

  16. The Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws apply in: • Preparation • Training • Exercises • Notification • Evacuation and transportation • Sheltering • First aid and medical services • Temporary lodging and housing • Transition back to the community • Clean up • Recovery • Mitigation • Other emergency- and disaster-related programs, services, and activities

  17. Access and Functional Needs • Children and adults with physical, mobility, sensory, intellectual, developmental, cognitive or mental health disabilities • Older Adults • People with chronic or temporary health conditions • Women in late stages of pregnancy • People needing bariatric equipment • People with Limited English Proficiency, low literacy or additional communication needs • People with very low incomes • People without access to transportation • People experiencing homelessness • Others

  18. Whole Community: Participation of the whole community requires: • Equal access to preparedness and recovery activities and programs • Meeting the access and functional needs of all individuals • Consistent and active engagement and involvement in all aspects of planning and recovery.

  19. NOTHING ABOUT US, WITHOUT US

  20. Language Influences Behavior • “Access and functional needs” NOT “special needs” • “Whole community” NOT “special populations” • “Disproportionate impact” NOT “vulnerable or at-risk populations” • “Individuals” NOT “special populations” • Planning “with” NOT planning “for”

  21. Assets Not Liabilities

  22. EXERCISES • Whole community practice for disasters • People with a variety of disabilities must be included • Actors should not be used • People with disabilities should pose real life challenges

  23. Disability and Access and Functional Needs Specific Training: • Independent Study IS-368: Including People With Disabilities & Others With Access & Functional Needs in Disaster Operations • Instructor Led L-197: Integrating Access and Functional Needs into Emergency Management • Instructor Led E-692: Disability Integration Advisor • Functional Needs Support Services in General Population Shelters Curriculum

  24. Disability and Access and Functional Needs Specific Training: Have we covered all of the bases?

  25. Ask yourself every time: • Did I include equal access: • Physical accessibility • Program accessibility • Effective communication access • Reasonable accommodations • Is my inclusion of equal access explicit or implicit?

  26. Helpful Links: • Office of Disability Integration and Coordination www.fema.gov/about/odic • Getting Real- Promising Practices in Inclusive Emergency Management gettingreal-ii.webcaston.tv/home/homepage.php • Guidance on Planning for Integration of Functional Needs Support Services in General Population Shelters http://www.fema.gov/pdf/about/odic/fnss_guidance.pdf • Personal Assistance Services Contract FAQ http://www.pascenter.org/publications/publication_home.php?id=1324&focus= • Planning for the Whole Community http://terrorism.spcollege.edu/Broadcasts/LRBroadcast0611.aspx

  27. Helpful Links: • First Responder Guide http://terrorism.spcollege.edu/SPAWARAFN/index.html • CAL EMA Office for Access and Functional Needs http://www.calema.ca.gov/ChiefofStaff/Pages/Access-and-Functional-Needs.aspx • Disaster Resources for People with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs http://www.jik.com/disaster.html • PAS Center Emergency Preparedness http://www.pascenter.org/emergency/index.php#promise • DOJ www.ada.gov • Project Civic Access http://www.ada.gov/civicac.htm

  28. Helpful Links: • PCA Tool Kit: Chapter 3- General Effective Communication Requirements Under Title II of the ADA http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap3toolkit.htm • Chapter 7- Emergency Management Under Title II of the ADA http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/toolkitmain.htm#pcatoolkitch7 • ADA Checklist for Emergency Shelters http://www.ada.gov/shleterck.htm • An ADA Guide for Local Governments: Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to People with Disabilities http://www.ada.gov/emergencyprep.htm

  29. INTEGRATION AND COORDINATION When communities integrate the access and functional needs of children and adults with and without disabilities in all phases of community-wide emergency management, they strengthen their ability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

  30. Office of Disability Integration and Coordination Marcie Roth, Director marcie.roth@fema.dhs.gov 202.285.9231 www.fema.gov/about/odic

  31. End of presentation

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