“Working with the Disability Community: A Citizen Corps Toolkit for Collaboration”

1. “Working with the Disability Community: A Citizen Corps Toolkit for Collaboration” Topic: Disaster Preparedness Working with Community members with Disabilities

2. Citizen Corps Mission To have everyone in America participate in making themselves, our communities, and our nation safer • We can“ALL”have a role in disaster preparedness • a personal responsibility to be prepared; • to get training in first aid and emergency skills; and • to volunteer to help prepare others

3. Citizen Corps Affiliates

4. Young Person Senior Citizen Business Person Rural or Urban Dweller Person with or without Disabilities Person who speaks a language other than English Unemployed Student Person of means Low Income Person Person who uses sign language to communicate with others Who Does ALL Include? Everyonecan be involved!

5. The Need to be Ready In 95% of all emergencies, bystanders or victims themselves are the first to provide emergency assistance or to perform a rescue Los Angeles Fire Department

6. Citizen Corps Councils Law Enforcement Fire Service Emergency Medical National Citizen Corps Council Emergency Management Intergovernmental Private Sector Volunteer Service Individuals with Disabilities State Citizen Corps Councils Tribal/Local Citizen Corps Councils

7. What YOU Can Do? • Be personally prepared - Have a personal disaster plan! • Learn about your school / workplace / community emergency response plans. • Help Citizen Corps Councils provide preparedness training in your community • Get your neighbors, friends, school and workplace prepared • Be involved to the best of your ability

8. That’s What the Toolkit is About! Providing Citizen Corps Council members and other Volunteers with information on how to getEVERYONEinvolved in disaster preparedness planning - to the best of their personal ability. Especially people with disabilities.

9. The Toolkit… • It isNOTintended to be a comprehensive disaster preparedness documentNORa “special needs” disaster plan for the community. • DoesNOTpropose the addition of expensive remedies or time-consuming strategies. • DoesNOTrequire that a separate plan for preparing for disaster for people with disabilities be in place.

10. The Toolkit … • Doesidentify resources, best practices and tools that will add to the existing resources available in Nebraska communities • Doessummarize issues that are critical to the needs of people with disabilities who live in communities all across Nebraska • Doesprovide for opportunities for volunteers of all walks of life to be involved in disaster preparation and planning in their community

11. The Toolkit • The Vision • Guiding Principles and Best Practices • Nebraska’s History • The Toolkit • How to Use the Toolkit

12. The Toolkit- continued “Community Preparedness Planning: Inclusion of People with Disabilities” • Collaboration • Defining Disabilities • Identifying and Locating Community Members with Disabilities • Working with the Disability Community • People with Disabilities Can REALLY be Involved

13. The Toolkit- continued “Issues that Impact People with Disabilities” • Communication • Access to Information • Warning Systems for People with Disabilities • Evacuation of People with Disabilities • Roles in Response to Evaluation • Mobility Issues • Shelters for People with Disabilities • Make Plans, Use Available Resources • Safety for People with Disabilities

14. The Toolkit- continued “Volunteer’s Guide: for Disaster Preparedness Training” • Disaster Preparedness Training for Home, Work and Community

15. The Toolkit- continued • Resources • References • Checklists and Other Tools

16. How can it be improved? The collective research is provided however, we need Your input! Your input via Survey completion, one to one interviews or focus groups is desired.

17. Next Steps • Collect input from surveys, interviews and focus groups • Analyze information • Develop report based on those findings • Disseminate report via website • Include findings throughout the revised Toolkit • Disseminate revised Toolkit • Community Training via Citizen Corps Council Volunteers

18. THANK YOU!

19. Our websiteincludes preparedness materials,information on programs and affiliates, and a listing of all Councils statewide. Contact us at:http://www.nvsc.ne.gov Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission Peter Cales PO Box 98927 Training and Disability Officer Lincoln, NE 68509 (402) 471-6228 Peter.Cales@dhhs.ne.gov