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Persons who Experience Disabilities

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

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Persons who Experience Disabilities

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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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