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Alice Frame, MA - MDHHS Disabilities Health Unit Coordinator
When writing and updating emergency plans, it is important to make sure we are protecting everyone in our community. Including in those plans people with disabilities is especially important. The law helps to guide emergency preparedness planning. For example, the Robert T. Stafford Act of 1988 provides a foundation for emergency response and management. The law also guides emergency planning and response activities in regards to people with disabilities.
There are several laws and executive orders that relate to the
health and safety of people with disabilities. Three of these laws apply specifically to
emergency preparedness and response: The Americans with Disabilities Act, the
Rehabilitation Act, and Executive Order 13347.
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The Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 prohibits discrimination against
people with disabilities by private entities, state and local governments, and
the US Congress in public programming and locations, employment, and
telecommunication services. People with disabilities must be included in all
emergency plans and efforts created by state government agencies, public
services, and employers.
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The
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits against discrimination based
on disability in any federal programs, funds, services, and practices. Any
program or organization that receives federal funding must comply with these
guidelines, including their emergency preparedness planning and response
efforts.
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Executive
Order 13347, Individuals
with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness ensures that the federal
government and executive departments consider the needs of individuals with
disabilities in emergency planning and response to ensure the safety and
security of that population. As part of this, it directs the federal government
to collaborate with state, local, and tribal government agencies to address the
needs of individuals with disabilities in emergency preparedness efforts.
People with disabilities are a part of the general
population and should be accounted for in all emergency preparedness programs
and policies applicable to the public. These pieces of legislation make
accessibility the law. Including people
with disabilities in emergency planning is vital. Adding a member of the disabilities community
to a planning group may help identify gaps in accessibility. Exercises
that include members of the disabilities community can help ensure all plans
work as intended.
One example of how Michigan programs include people with
disabilities in emergency preparedness planning is with the Kent County Health
Department Emergency Preparedness Program. Kent County has engaged
community partners with disabilities in preparedness program development, plan
review, and exercises to help ensure disability considerations are addressed in
preparedness, response, and recovery. In August 2016, members of the Kent
Regional Inclusive Community Coalition (RICC) participated in a public health
full-scale exercise of a point of dispensing site. Participants engaged in all
points of the clinic flow. Following the exercise, Kent County collected
feedback from the participants on the accessibility of the clinic environment
and process; those observations were included in the after- action report and
corrective actions were identified for updating plans and emergency procedures.
Kent County continues to include disability partners in preparedness efforts
and encourages their community response partners to do the same.
Including the disability community in all preparedness activities prevents issues down the road with possible unintentional exclusion of people with
disabilities in future emergency response activities.
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