Special People

Jane Po

I was Skype -chatting about the quake with my friend Norma , a wheelchair-bound disabled rights activist, when I asked, "How would YOU prepare for a disaster?" She gave me—Miz Insensitivity—one big DOH!

So, after enduring her scorn, I looked up FEMA’s Planning Guide for People with Special Needs . The guide lists the primary preparedness needs of the disabled—it’s a “first-steps” resource. But wait, there's more!

The American Red Cross offers two brochures: one for seniors —written by seniors who’ve survived a disaster—and one for the disabled . The senior guide is available in other languages . Preparenow.org’s guide  is similar to the Red Cross’, but adds a section on earthquakes.

The Red Cross of Rochester, New York has a manual on emergency preparedness for the hearing impaired . Likewise, the American Council of the Blind's web site offers a handbook targeted at the blind, the visually impaired, and first responders . The site also has an emergency preparedness page for service animal owners . Another great resource is the Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco’s site, which features no-frills preparedness tip sheets  for those with specific disabilities such as the wheelchair-bound and the mentally disabled. However, the site has display issues on the Firefox browser.

Availability of medication is always critical to people with special needs. The American Society of Health-System Professionals (ASHSP) has created a consumer bulletin  that addresses medication issues during a disaster. The Food and Drug Administration created a page aimed at diabetics , which is a good complement to the ASHSP’s consumer bulletin.

There are resources for caregivers, too. If you’re caring for an Alzheimer’s patient, you may want to register him or her with the Alzheimer Association’s SafeReturn® program , an identification service that provides assistance when a person with Alzheimer's or a related dementia becomes lost locally or far from home. The Department of Health and Human Services has an excellent preparedness page for caregivers and first responders . I wish, though, that the default font on the page were larger.

The National Next of Kin Registry , which provides a free emergency contact resource to individuals and to emergency agencies, is another service you might want to consider for the mentally disabled. Also, see if a local government agency in your area runs a voluntary registry for evacuating special-needs persons in case of disaster.

For emergency preparedness and response articles for the disabled in the workplace , go to Gallaudet University’s web site. The site also has articles for employers and emergency managers. Managers may also want to read the Department of Labor’s rules of emergency preparedness planning for people with disabilities .

I’m glad I had that conversation with Norma. She put up with my "foot-in-mouth disease," and made me realize that preparing for a disaster was not just for four-limb-abled people like me.