U.S. Congressional Briefing Held November 10 on Emergency Management and People with Disabilities

On November 10, 2005, the National Council on Disability, the National Council on Independent Living, the National Organization on Disability, the National Spinal Cord Injury Association and the Paralyzed Veterans of America hosted a Congressional Briefing on Emergency Management and People with Disabilities: Before, During and After. The briefing featured in-depth experiences of national disability groups during and following the Katrina hurricane, centered on the serious lack of planning for and inclusion of disabled persons in rescue, relief, rehousing and allied responses on the part of both governmental and non-governmental agencies. Responses of a few emergency management agencies in the governmental and private sector who attended the session are included.

Examples were given of significant numbers of disabled persons who were not rescued, not provided with accessible communications, shelter or rehousing, who have been institutionalized in distant locations and who are still not being adequately considered in response efforts. Examples were also provided of what could be done now and in the future, such as the addition of emergency personnel who understand the needs of disabled persons to the staffs of all emergency management agencies, and the unique federal opportunity to make the rebuilding efforts truly accessible, according to universal design principles.

To read the complete transcript of the briefing, visit the NCD website.

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