In emergencies or disasters, the whole community includes people with access and functional needs. By the nature of emergencies many resources and services people with access and functional needs use become unavailable. Emergency management, social services, medical personnel, public safety professionals, and victim or survivor advocates need to be prepared to provide a plan for inclusion, representation, and access for people with access and functional needs. This includes plans for services in emergencies to help bridge the gap. In this session we will explore lessons learned for people with disabilities (PWD), access and functional needs (AFN) in emergencies and disasters, evaluating shelter issues for people with access and functional needs in general population shelters, assessing methods of transitional housing, examining problems with effective communication, and creating a network of contacts with service providers.

Organized by Christy Rojas