July 27, 2026
National Access and Functional Needs Online Meetings
Join in on presentations, discussions, and deep dives.
June Kailes researches and organizes these monthly 90-minute discussions for the Colorado Access and Functional Needs Program in the Office of Emergency Management.
Next event: July 27, 2026 Public Engagement: Are You Supporting Rhetoric or the Real Thing?
Date & *Time: 4th Thursday of each month | 11:00 a.m. Pacific | 12:00 p.m. Mountain | 1:00 p.m. Central | 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Register: using the National AFN Meeting Registration Link
Audience: A diverse group of regional, state, and local emergency services workers; people from community-based organizations; people with lived disability experience; disability advocates; health professionals; etc. Participant numbers range from 25 to 100+ based on topic interest.
Objectives include:
- Strengthening disaster resilience by understanding, honoring, and valuing the details, diversity, nuances, and complexity of the lived disability experience.
- Integrating people with disabilities into emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.
- Learning from colleagues.
- Identifying resources and good practices.
- Fostering networking, coordination, collaboration, communication, and cooperation.
- Focusing on fixes and operationalizing solutions.
Prior recorded meetings are on YouTube. Notes, chats, CART transcripts, and handouts are available. Below are some examples:
Examples:
- May and June 2026 Trust Is More Than a Feeling: It Is the Impact of Good Design with June Kailes
• September 2025 Tactics for the Trenches: Identifying and Meeting CMIST Needs with Janice Springer
• August 2025 Disability Stakeholder Response and Recovery Coordinator Meetings with panelists
• July 2025 Exploring Disability: Identity, Culture, and Inspirational Porn in the Context of Emergency Services with Curt Garrett
• June 2025 Integrating CMIST Into Community Resource Capability Assessments with Sadie Martinez and Hannah Hoffmann
• April 2025 Role of Statewide Independent Living Councils in Emergency Planning and Response with Beth Meyer
• March 2025 Strengthening Effective Communication for People Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities with Ted Horton-Billard
• November 2025 Surviving Power Outages: Pilot Colorado Program with Julia Beems
• December 2024 Pod Mapping: Identifying and Organizing Support Networks with Brook McCall and Erin Taylor
*Note: Calendar time may not be correct for your time zone. Refer to times above.