We All Want Disability Inclusion in Emergency Management - New Research on What is Actually Happening

This webinar will review findings from new research conducted by New York University and the Pacific ADA Center on what local emergency managers in federal region 9 say they have done and can do to include people with disabilities in emergency planning, response, recovery, and mitigation. Crucial information about disability inclusion in emergency management and the structural needs of local offices to achieve this was discovered.

Learning objectives:

• Name three key responsibilities of Offices of Emergency Management to ensure access to people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs
• Discuss the role that ADA coordinators can play with respect to ensuring Offices of Emergency Management meet the ADA requirements with respect to disaster preparedness and response.

Presenter:

Robyn Gershon is a Clinical Professor and researcher at the College of Global Public Health at NYU. Previously she served as Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health and at the University of California, San Francisco, with an Adjunct Professorship at UC Berkeley, School of Public Health. She developed and teaches three on-line disaster courses, the most recent is on Healthcare Disaster Management.

Dr. Gershon's research focuses on barriers and facilitators to disaster preparedness - especially with respect to vulnerable populations and essential workers- including the health care and public health workforce. Dr. Gershon's research is designed to inform policy and practice, as exemplified by her landmark "World Trade Center Evacuation Study," which helped lead to the first changes in the New York City high rise fire safety codes in more than 30 years. One of her most recent studies: "Mass Fatality Preparedness in the US", was the first national study on the operational capabilities and readiness for the management of mass fatalities within the US. Along with her colleague, Lewis Kraus of the Pacific ADA, she conducted a large national study on disaster preparedness for people with disabilities. They are currently conducting a study to determine the degree to which the needs of people with disabilities are addressed in local emergency management (FEMA Region 9) disaster planning and response activities - the topic of today's session. Dr. Gershon has published more than 125 peer review articles on her research.