Disability and Disasters

February 2014 — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a new Independent Study Course: IS-368: Including People with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs in Disaster Operations.  The course “provides an overview of disabilities and access and functional needs” and further explains how disaster staff and emergency management can ensure that all practices are inclusive and accessible.  Following the course, disaster staff and emergency management should be aware of the legislative and regulatory framework ensuring the rights of people with disabilities in

August 2013 — In honor of 2013 International Day for Disaster Reduction, “Living with Disability and Disasters,” the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) released a survey “to ascertain the needs of persons living with disabilities and disasters.”  Through the survey, UNISDR hopes to capture the critical needs of people with disabilities, and ensure these needs are met by the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), “the global disaster risk reduction plan that was adopted in 2005.”  The UNISDR and FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination are urging all people