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Inclusive Emergency Preparedness Workshop - Understanding Disabilities for Proactive Assistance

Join our workshop to learn about assisting persons with disabilities in emergencies, including visual, hearing, cognitive, and mobility impairments. Gain insights on adaptive devices and communication methods. Be prepared and proactive!

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Inclusive Emergency Preparedness Workshop - Understanding Disabilities for Proactive Assistance

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  1. Persons who Experience Disabilities What do we need to know

  2. SCHEDULE for the Morning 8:00–8:10 Introductions 8:10-8:20 WHY? 8:20-8:55 Visual Impairments 8:55-9:20 Exercise 9:20:9:30 Break 9:30-10:15 Hearing Impairments 10:15-10:35 Exercise 10:35-10:45 Break 10:45-11:30 Cognitive Disabilities 11:30-11:50 Exercise 11:50-1:00 Lunch

  3. SCHEDULE for the Afternoon 1:00-1:40 The 4 D’s continued 1:40-2:00 Exercise 2:00-2:10 Break 2:10-2:40 Mobility Impairments 2:40-3:00 Exercise 3:00-3:10 Break 3:10-3:25 Service Dogs 3:25-3:40 Demonstration 3:40-3:50 Exercise 3:50-4:00 Break

  4. CLOSING 4:00-4:10 Tips 4:10-4:30 Preparing 4:30-4:50 Closing 4:50-5:00 Final Questions

  5. Outcomes • Understand the different types of disabilities • Learn how to assist a person who experiences a disability in the event of an emergency • Learn what you can do to prepare ahead • Help persons with disabilities to understand how they can prepare

  6. WHY do we need this information • To be proactive in our need to respond in an emergency • Remember what happened in the World Trade Center • Remember what happened in Katrina

  7. How do we prevent this from happening again • Education • Re-education • Planning • Preparedness

  8. It is critical that all plans for emergency preparedness consider the special needs of people with disabilities. It is not just a suggestion but it is necessary that individuals with disabilities be included in the planning process at all levels

  9. CATEGORIES OF DISABILITIES • There are four main categories of disabilities • Visual Impairments • Hearing impairments • Developmental Disabilities • Mobility Impairments

  10. VISION IMPAIRMENTS • Approaching a person with a vision impairment • Announce yourself • Do not touch until they know you are there • Speak Naturally and directly to the person • Describe what you are going to do • Don’t leave them alone until they are in a safe place

  11. TIPS TO ASSIST PERSON WHO EXPERIENCE VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS • It is okay to use word like “see”, “look” and “blind” • Person may need to walk slightly behind you – do you know why? • Mention stairs, doorways and ramps

  12. TIPS continued • Place the persons hand on the back of the chair • When leading more than one person – make sure they keep body contact • Reassure the person and explain what you are seeing –such as high water, fire – they need to know

  13. EXERCISE

  14. 10 minute break

  15. TIPS TO ASSIST PERSON WHO EXPERIENCE HEARING IMPAIRMENTS • Hearing impairments vary from mild loss to total deafness • Hearing loss is measured by the level of benefit a person receives from aural imput

  16. ADAPTIVE DEVICES/METHODS • Commonly know as hearing aids • There can be other sound amplification devices. • Lip reading • Use of visual input

  17. Amplify sound but also amplify background noise i.e. if an alarm is going off and you are trying to talk to someone – likely they can not hear you This renders voice communication systems useless This makes closed caption a must Alternative devices can be helpful and should be offered to persons id’d with a hearing impairment HEARING AIDS

  18. TDD/TTY lines Tele-Digital Display/Teletype • If possible identify person who use TDD/TTY lines • Program them into a Computerized computer system to notify them of an emergency or arrange for a TDD/TTY operator

  19. TIPS FOR ASSISTING A PERSON WITH A HEARING IMPAIRMENT • Make visual contact • If you do not have visual contact – use something to draw attention to yourself such as flicking lights on and off • Face the light – it is easier to lip read

  20. Make eye contact Learn basic signs related to instructions to use in an emergency Develop a picture file Use an interpreter if one is available Add Add facial expressions and gestures to help get the message across Repeat the message if necessary Offer a pencil and paper to the person Let the person read as you write TIPS CONTINUED

  21. TIPS continued • Provide a flashlight to the person so they can signal you and to help with lip reading • Buddy the person with someone who is not hearing impaired • Make sure the person takes their hearing aides with them if at all possible

  22. EXERCISE

  23. BREAK TIME

  24. COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTSDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES • The Four D’s • Autism • Epilepsy • Cerebral Palsy • Cognitive Disability

  25. ASSOCIATED with BRAIN FUNCTION • A cognitive disability is one that in some way limits the way the brain works. • This might be thought, motor, electrode miss-firing or brain processing or any combination of these

  26. Understanding continued • Person may have more receptive language than expressive language • Treat the person as an adult if they are one • Learn where the person lives before the emergency

  27. Understanding continued • Make sure you know what medication this person is taking and that the medication is taken with the person • If they have any adaptive devices they should also go with the person if possible

  28. Epilepsy • Understand that this person almost always has normal intelligence • They can understand directions • There is a chance that a strobe light can set off a seizure

  29. Epilepsy continued • Stress of the situation can also set off a seizure. • Ask the person what their seizures look like and how they should be responded to • Make sure they take their medication with them

  30. Cerebral Palsy • Is a condition that affects the motor coordination functions of the brain • Person may have tremors, use adaptive devices to ambulate or speak • May have speech that is unintelligible • Usually have excellent receptive language • May need full care – bathroom assistance, feeding assistance, etc.

  31. Cerebral Palsy continued • May have a full-time caregiver who needs to remain with the individual • Usually will be a consumer served by DDD and should have a Support Coordinator

  32. EXERCISE

  33. Autism • There are many diagnosis that fall on the Autism spectrum • A person with true autism usually does not deal well with change • The individual may not make eye contact • The individual may not understand what you are saying to them • Fright can manifest aggression

  34. Autism continued • A person with autism may perseverate on one object or thing • May demonstrate a rocking motion • May demonstrate constant hand motions • May not be able to focus long enough to understand instructions

  35. Tips for working with a person who experiences Autism • The individual should not be crowded • Speak calmly and softly to the person • Reassure them • Contact DDD

  36. How can you support persons with cognitive disabilities until arrangements are made for them • Use language that can be understood and processed to make them more comfortable • Keep the support to the least number of people • Reassure them • Keep them busy so time goes by more quickly

  37. COGNITIVE DISABILITY • See many levels of functioning • May see persons with co-existing disabilities • Be prepared to communicate at the level of the person you are working with • Person may not have any expressive language but may have excellent receptive language

  38. COGINTIVE DISABILITY CONTINUED • The levels may range from a person who has not comprehension to a person who can function on their own with minimal assistance

  39. Cognitive Disability Continued • A person experiencing a cognitive disability may also experience Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy or Autism. However not all person who experience one of the above conditions are cognitively disabled

  40. EXERCISE

  41. MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS • A mobility impairment is considered to be a person who uses a wheelchair of other device to substitute for ambulation and this category encompasses a wide array of people with varying disabilities

  42. Tips for working with individuals who experience MOBILITY impairments • Persons using a wheelchair have a vast array of strengths and challenges • Don’t judge and don’t generalize • Determine what the strengths of that user is – (i.e. can they understand and react appropriately to your requests) • Determine their challenges – (i.e. they cannot get themselves out of the chair)

  43. Tips continued • Determine if the person can stand or walk without their wheelchair • If they can stand for how long • If they can ambulate – how far can they go

  44. Tips continued • Many individuals who use a wheelchair have very well developed upper body strength • Determine if the person has full, partial or no use of their lower extremities

  45. Tips continued • Ask the person to tell you what they can and can’t do • Learn to do a stand and pivot with a person in a wheelchair • Determine the best way to carry the person

  46. TIPS continued • Get someone to bring the wheelchair to wherever the person is going. • Persons who use wheelchairs have the chairs specially fitted • The Wheelchair represents independence

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