ADA National Network Learning Session: The latest in American Red Cross efforts to integrate people with disabilities in emergency planning and response

The webinar will outline the American Red Cross Disability Integration program that is rolled out across the US to Red Cross regions and Divisions. Current disaster relief operational successes, such as the video relay phone installations and sensory kit distribution will be discussed along with the challenges that arise during relief operations. Best practices, such as daily stakeholder calls and state disability integration coordinators, will be discussed to assist the audience to plan for disaster relief operations.

Learning objectives:

• Describe the American Red Cross Disability Integration Program.
• Learn current American Red Cross operational successes and challenges in disaster response
• Discuss Best Practices as adopted by American Red Cross

Presenter:

Mary Casey-Lockyer is currently the Senior Associate for Disaster Health Services at the national headquarters of the American Red Cross. For over seven years, she has fulfilled this role for program development and continuous quality improvement for Disaster Health Services at national headquarters and manages a cadre of 2,600+ Disaster Health Services volunteers. As a Disaster Health Services manager/chief with the Red Cross, she has been on nineteen national deployments, most recently to the Disaster Relief Operation in Saipan and supporting other Red Cross Disaster Relief Operations from national headquarters' Disaster Operations Coordination Center (DOCC). She is also supporting Red Cross long term recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands as a subject matter expert for community health. Mary continues to act as the Red Cross liaison to the Secretary's Operation Center at the Department of Health and Human Services and serves on the board of Healthcare Ready. Mary sits as the Red Cross representative on the Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergencies at The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. She has published many articles, most recently "Disability Integration throughout the disaster cycle of prepare, respond and recover" in the Journal of Business Continuity and Emergency Planning, Spring 2017.