Checklist for Integrating People with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs into Emergency Planning, Response & Recovery (2020 – updated, 2014)
Defining Functional Needs – Updating CMIST (2017) – results from the evolving of terminology as well as the clarity, precision, and specificity of practice. CMIST is a framework to help people remember and plan for the five functional needs individuals may have in an emergency or disaster: communication; maintaining health; independence; support, safety, and self-determination; and transportation. Emergency plans that focus on optimizing function rather than on “specialness” increase the success of accommodating predictable needs. For instance, knowing that someone has survived a stroke does not reveal their functional needs for maintaining health, safety, and independence, which can vary from none to many.
Functional Needs Focused Care and Shelter Checklist (2009)
Inclusive Event Procedures for Emergencies, Edition I, October 2017 – Procedures need to anticipate the needs of everyone. Planning should recognize that there will be attendees with disabilities who may need evacuation or other assistance in an emergency. These attendees have a variety of disabilities (mobility, breathing, allergies, hearing, seeing, reading, understanding, or chronic conditions) and may have difficulty or be unable to: use stairwells, hear alarms, see or read exit signs, or understand instructions. Contents include: applying emergency planning strategies, safety considerations for site selection, projecting numbers of attendees with disabilities, a checklist for inclusive emergency safety briefings for attendees, emergency planning with event facilities staff, and more resources. Readers should use this guidance in conjunction with information found in “Accessible Meetings, Events, and Conferences Guide.”
Moving Beyond “Special Needs” A function-based framework for emergency management and planning, (2007)
Planning Checklist for Rapid Emergency Response for Organizations Serving People with Disabilities Edition 1.4 (2018) pdf. Rapid emergency response aligns with the core services and values of disability-focused organizations that engage in systems advocacy to protect people’s civil rights and right to self-determination. This guidance and checklist are for organizations that support the health, safety, interdependence, and independence of people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. Use it to evaluate critical elements of emergency response and recovery, identify areas needing attention, set priorities, and continue to assess progress. Four elements include::
- Continuity of Operations / Ensuring Service Continuation – Can your organization continue to provide services? Are staff familiar with (drilled and practiced) emergency procedures for different scenarios? Can communication among staff and clients be maintained during and after an emergency? Are there plans for emergency staffing, supplies, coordination, decision-making, data access, mutual aid, emergency messaging, and updating emergency plans??
- Client-Focused Emergency Actions – What steps is your organization taking to help the people you serve prepare for and maintain their emergency plans? Are plans in place to provide life-safety checks to a pre-identified segment of the people you serve?
- Community Partnerships, Connecting and Networking – Does your organization participate in meetings, workshops, and community gatherings that focus on emergency planning?
- Outside Service Contracts, Agreements, and Memorandums of Understanding – Have you identified which services your organization will offer for a fee or free to local and state governments and established agreements for fee-based services?
Standard, Accessible, and Medical Cots (2009)
The National Shelter System and Physical Accessibility – Time to Look Under the Hood (2017) — emphasizes physical accessibility as one of many criteria used by the American Red Cross’s National Shelter System (NSS). This focus on facility access is driven by frequent feedback (from my roles as a trainer, consultant, and policy analyst) from emergency management professionals, who often say they don’t need to survey their mass care sites for physical accessibility because they rely on the information in the NSS. The information in this article is based on informal discussions with American Red Cross staff and volunteers. These talks revealed inconsistent and sometimes conflicting information about NSS. A list of questions and concerns is included regarding NSS’s data accuracy, surveyor skills, and consistency in enforcing standardized policies across divisions and regions. For example, different versions of physical access questions seem to be used in NSS and in various regions.
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