ADA National Network Learning Session: Getting It Right - An After Action Report on Major Disasters of 2017-18

Event Date/Time: 

Thursday, August 9th, 2018
11:30 AM PDT - 1:00 PM PDT

Location: 

Online

Description: 

This webinar is a discussion and review of the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies' After-Action Report, Getting It Wrong: An Indictment with a Blueprint for Getting It Right-Disability Rights, Obligations and Responsibilities Before, During and After Disasters, published in May 2018. This report is an unvarnished account of the devastation from poor planning and failed execution throughout the 2017- 2018 disasters as reported by people with disabilities and allies with first-hand knowledge. The report also documents promising and good practices that can be refined, customized and replicated. Most importantly, it contains recommendations for "getting it right" before the next disasters strike.

 

Learning objectives:

  • Understand the effect of ADA noncompliance on individuals with disabilities before, during and after the 2017-2018 disasters.
  • Understand the complex circumstances contributing to the disproportionate impact of disasters on people with disabilities.
  • Be aware of the recommendations for improving preparedness and disaster resilience established by a broad coalition of disability inclusive emergency management stakeholders.

Presenters:

Marcie Roth is the CEO of The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies providing local, national and global disability rights leadership through a variety of contracted and collaborative projects committed to a shared mission of disability rights, equal access and full inclusion for the whole community before, during and after disasters. Her primary focus is on capacity building for community leaders and emergency management stakeholders working together to prepare for emergencies and recover from disasters by providing tools, resources, training and technical assistance to prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards, optimizing accessibility as a critical lifesaving and life sustaining foundation for building and sustaining community-wide resilience. She was appointed by President Obama to the U.S Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 2009 to 2017, serving as Senior Advisor to the Administrator and congressionally mandated Disability Coordinator for the agency. While at FEMA, she established the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC), serving as its Director. Under her leadership, ODIC led national transformation towards integrating the access and functional needs of the whole community throughout emergency preparedness and disaster response, recovery and mitigation.

Melissa Marshall, J.D. is the Policy Director of Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies. She is also the Principal of Melissa Marshall Disability Consulting, LLC. Melissa has had a lifelong career in disability rights. Her most recent efforts have focused on the legal rights of children and adults with disabilities before, during and after disasters. Throughout the 2017-2018 disasters, Ms. Marshall managed the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies Hotline and provided the Partnership with both policy expertise and operations coordination. Previously, she was the founding Executive Director of the Disabilities Network of Eastern Connecticut, a Center for Independent Living; the first director of the Connecticut Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Mental Illness (PAIMI) national program; the Executive Director of the Connecticut Business Leadership Network, a coalition of corporations committed to maximizing employment for people with disabilities; and Executive Director of Advocacy Unlimited, a peer-led organization which educates people with mental health conditions in forensic institutions and in the community about their legal rights.

June Isaacson Kailes has a Disability Policy Consulting practice and is the Associate Director of the Harris Family Center for Disability and Health Policy at Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California. June's consulting and publications focus on building disability actionable competencies in the worlds of health care and emergency management to ensure people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs are integrated and included in service delivery processes, procedures, protocols, policies and training. She has worked nationally with FEMA, the Centers for Disease Control, Department of Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services on policy, planning and training issues. In the emergency management world, June is a pioneer, leader and innovator. Examples of her impact and influence include: researching and writing "Southern California Wildfires After Action Report;" developing inclusive emergency management plans that close service gaps, prevent civil rights violations, and emphasize and incorporate standard operating procedures, field operation guides, just-in-time checklists, and exercises; offering training that replaces the ambiguous disability etiquette, sensitivity and awareness, with focusing on maximizing impact, actionable disability practice competencies and measurable skill sets needed to provide equally effective services; conceiving, promoting, and moving the emergency management world from the vague "special needs" focus to operationalizing an access and functional needs approach to planning and response and fostering a clearer understanding of who is included in the large numbers and diversity of disability; originating and working with the State of California to adopt and implement the use of Functional Assessment Service Teams (FAST); and documenting the critical need to re-evaluating the use of emergency registries in order to avoid symbolic planning.

Mark Starford is the Director of The Board Resource Center (BRC). Since 1994 BRC has been providing leadership training and developing accessible tools for organizations and government agencies that advocate for, and provide services to, underserved communities. BRC's focus is on developing adapted sustainable multi-media materials to increase community inclusion, personal safety, and civic engagement for persons with disabilities and older persons. Recent priorities include disability inclusive emergency preparedness, abuse prevention and end-of-life advance planning.

From the Sponsor: 

ADA National Network

Audience: 

People with Disabilities, State and Local Government, ADA Coordinator, Consumer Advocate, Federal or Non-Federal Partner, Service Provider

Topic: 

Emergency Preparedness

Credit: 

Attendance

Registration: 

Required

Cost: 

0.00

Registration Deadline: 

Wednesday, August 8, 2018