Monthly Updates - April, 2006

ICC Monthly Highlight

Daniel Sutherland Speaks at National Hurricane Conference: "Who's Looking Out for Special Needs"

".the needs and talents of people with disabilities must be more effectively integrated throughout the emergency management process. While all Americans face difficulties during emergencies, these difficulties are often compounded for people with disabilities and their families. This is not a "niche" issue, worthy of a footnote or two as we discuss the lessons learned from Katrina."
~~Daniel Sutherland - National Hurricane Conference, April 14, 2006

Daniel Sutherland' addressed attendees during a plenary session at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Florida on Friday, April 14th. The primary goal of the National Hurricane Conference which attracts approximately 2000 participants is to improve hurricane preparedness, response and recovery in order to save lives and property in the United States and tropical islands of the Caribbean and Pacific. In addition, the conference serves as a national forum for federal, state and local officials to exchange ideas and recommend new policies to improve emergency management. Mr. Sutherland is the Department of Homeland Security Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and chair of the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities.

Sutherland spoke to attendees regarding ways that they can ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are fully integrated in emergency plans. He stated, "As the chair of the federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities, we recognize that our role and responsibility is not to add new burdens to your work, but to identify ways that we can help you effectively deal with the complex and unique issues in this arena."

Sutherland made several recommendations to attendees. Among them was his call to reevaluate response and recovery plans in regards to this issue and to hire disability subject matter experts to work within emergency management agencies. "When you have a vacancy, consider hiring a person with a disability. When you have money to employ an expert, consider bringing in an expert on accessible transportation, for example."

Daniel Sutherland's speech can be found at:
http://www.disabilitypreparedness.gov/ds04_14_06.htm

Other high level DHS officials also addressed the conference attendees including Secretary Michael Chertoff, Federal Emergency Management Administration Director R. David Paulison, and Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen.

The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) Welcomes Brian Parsons

In April 2006, Brian Parsons assumed the position of Senior Policy Advisor at the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL). In his role at CRCL, Brian works with federal, state and local governments and private sector organizations to fully engage people with disabilities in their emergency preparedness, response and recovery efforts. Brian assumes a leadership role in the ongoing activities of the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities (ICC) State, Local and Tribal Government Coordination Subcommittee which CRCL chairs.

Brian comes to CRCL from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office Disability Employment Policy where he developed policies, program and project plans to promote the employment of people with disabilities. He served as Chair ICC Workplace Subcommittee. With his leadership, the Workplace Subcommittee developed a first-ever set of best practice guidelines to steer federal agencies in the development of emergency plans that fully include employees and visitors with disabilities. Prior to joining DOL, Brian spent 15 years focusing on state and local government policy and planning work for people with disabilities. Between 1996 and 2002, he served as the Director of the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, the Governor's advisor on the employment, education and community inclusion of Virginians with disabilities. While working at the Commonwealth of Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Department, Brian provided guidance to local land use planners on protecting natural resources and mitigated potential hazards associated with shoreline development.

Brian's ultimate goal is for disability considerations to be routine in all phases of emergency management-that they are fully embedded in the fabric of emergency preparedness, response and recovery activities and not an after thought. Brian also would like to see people with disabilities as key players when developing preparedness, response and recovery protocol. "People with disabilities are contributors to emergency preparedness," says Brian. "I think this community has a lot to add to emergency preparedness for all of us."

ICC Research Subcommittee

The ICDR Seeks Comments at Public Meeting

Steven J. Tingus, Director of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, and Chair of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) is pleased to provide you with notice of an ICDR public meeting and request for written comments with respect to the federal disability and rehabilitation research agenda.

We are pleased to inform you that the ICDR, authorized by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, is holding a meeting to seek comments from the public with respect to the federal disability and rehabilitation research agenda. This dialogue with the public is of critical importance, and we are encouraging individuals with disabilities, persons who represent service providers, service provider organizations, disability and rehabilitation research and policy groups and representatives of advocacy organizations with specialized knowledge and experience, to suggest specific ways to improve future research for individuals with disabilities. The ICDR is also interested in hearing from individuals concerning how well the existing federal research programs are responding to the changing needs of individuals with disabilities.

The meeting will take place May 23, 2006, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Capital Hilton Hotel, 1001 16th Street N.W., Washington DC, 20036. Telephone: (202) 393-1000.

The meeting will be open and accessible to the general public. Public comments will be analyzed, along with other sources of information, to make recommendations for future research directions and to coordinate the federal research effort in disability; however, the ICDR cannot respond individually to comments.

All individuals planning to attend the public meeting, including those presenting comment, must make all reservations by May 9, 2006, by contacting Robert Jaeger, using the contact information below. Individuals who wish to present comments must request time on the agenda, which will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants will be allowed approximately five minutes to present their comments.

Prior to the meeting, participants must submit written copies of their comments, along with any other written or electronic versions of supporting information, such as agency or organization policy statements, recommendations, research findings and research literature. Walk-ins must bring two written copies of their comments. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call (202) 205-4475. Individuals who need accommodations for a disability in order to attend or participate at the meeting (i.e., interpreting services, assistive listening devices, material in alternative format) should notify ROBERT JAEGER by May 9, 2006.

Robert Jaeger, Executive Secretary, ICDR
U.S. Department of Education
550 12th Street, S.W., room 6050
Potomac Center Plaza
Washington, DC 20202-2700
Telephone: (202) 245-7386
Fax: (202) 245-7633
Robert.Jaeger@ed.gov

A copy of the Federal Register notice can be viewed at:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2006-2/041106c.html

ICC Private Sector Coordination

Collaboration with American Red Cross

In order to improve their handling of disability issues, the National Office of the American Red Cross (ARC) hosted a working meeting, Engaging and Serving People with Disabilities. This meeting was attended by representatives from disability organizations, federal agencies and Red Cross staff and volunteers. The dialogue was geared towards developing greater understanding of the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders and the ARC; identifying gaps in existing ARC services in regards to people with disabilities; and, increasing the involvement of key organizations. The day-long meeting produced an extensive list of action items. The ARC will identify those action items that require immediate attention in preparation for the 2006 hurricane season.

Additionally, recognizing the need to offer training for its staff and volunteers to better serve individuals with disabilities, the ARC is collaborating with disability partners in the development of a blended learning course. This course consists of a 45 minute online component plus additional classroom instruction that allows learners to interact and practice skills obtained from the online component of the course. The anticipated rollout of this course is early summer 2006.

ICC Health Subcommittee

The Office on Disability is actively involved in two key workgroups - "Mission Fulfillment" and creation of a "Human Services" component to all HHS ESFs.

The role of the Office on Disability within the Mission Fulfillment Workgroup includes disability-based attention to:

• Necessary changes to all HHS Emergency Support Functions (ESFs),
• Concept of operations for the current Hurricane Season; and
• Concept of operations for Pandemic Flu response.

Other activities of the ICC Health Subcommittee include:

• The ICC Health Subcommittee works closely with the HHS Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness Office of Emergency Support and Security Programs (OPHEP OEOSP) in regards to how disability-based issues can be operationalized within the HHS ESF responses. As a result, the Office on Disability has attained the respect and status of any other HHS operational division in respect to addressing the challenges of persons with disabilities (and other Special Needs Populations). The Office on Disability is now well integrated into the planning and operations of the OPHEP including Top Official 4 (TOPOFF4) and tabletop planning and exercises.
• The ICC Health Subcommittee is preparing an Emergency Preparedness Planner Community Guidebook/Toolkit for state and local emergency planners.
• The Office on Disability has been tasked with disability-based training for HHS Public Health Service staff and other HHS responders in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season and in the event of pandemic flu. This training will compliment the Emergency Preparedness Planner Community Guidebook currently under development. It is expected that this training will be implemented by June 2006.
• The Health Subcommittee has reviewed and recommend the following two Emergency Preparedness documents to emergency responders, planners and persons with disabilities:
1. "Public Health Workbook to Define, Locate and Reach Special Vulnerable and At Risk Populations in an Emergency (developed by CDC Coordinating Office on Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Response) and
2. "Emergency Evacuation Preparation: Taking Responsibility for Your Safety: A Guide for Persons with Disabilities and Other Activity Limitations" (written by June Issacson Kailes)

Upcoming Events

May 9-12, 2006
14th Annual Volunteer Organization Active in Disaster Conference Raleigh, NC
This year's conference theme is "Lighting Our Way Together" Please visit http://www.nvoad.org/annualconf1.php for more information and registration.

May 15, 2006
Disaster and Emergency Response Summit and Workgroup Meeting I Rockville, MD
The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health laid out six goals to transform mental health care in America. The Federal Partner Senior Workgroup has been meeting for almost two years to help implement these goals. A recent development of this Federal Workgroup has been to select five specific areas for special focus. They include Suicide Prevention, Primary and Mental Health Care, Financing Issues, Employment and Transition and Disaster and Emergency Response.

The first Disaster and Emergency Response meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 15th from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm. Participation is by invitation only.

May 16 - 17, 2006
Restoration 2006 Conference New Orleans, LA
This conference will focus on rebuilding and renewal in the wake of natural or human caused disasters. For more information visit www.restoration2006.org.

May 17, 2006
Gallant Fox Annual Exercise Arlington, VA
The Arlington County Chapter of the American Red Cross is seeking volunteer role-players for the up-coming drill at the Pentagon. "Red Cross role players will simulate a building evacuation and go through decontamination (you will be wearing a swim suit under the BDUs which you will be issued). You will need to bring a spare change of clean clothes that you will put into a "Go Kit" that will be provided. This is an "all day" event, and meals will be provided. You will be picked up at the Arlington County Chapter early in the morning (time TBD) and transported by bus to the Reservation parking lot. Role players will "evacuate" from the bus and proceed through decontamination, also in the parking lot."

Individuals able to assist, please send an email to: sohrabrezvan@arlingtonredcross.org with subject "Gallant Fox 06 Role Player Interest"

Please provide you full name, best email address, best phone number, and chapter of affiliation.

April 21, 2006
Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Housing Seminar Stetson's Tampa Law Center, Tampa, Florida
This free program is designed to promote compliance with and provide technical guidance and training on the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act establishes seven design and construction accessibility requirements for nearly all covered multifamily dwellings built for first occupancy after March 13, 1991. Compliance with local or state building code standards may not assure compliance with the Fair Housing Act requirements. The Act applies to both private sector and federally funded housing, and its requirements are separate from those of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Fair Housing Act requires accessible housing both in the private market and in federally subsidized housing.
For more information go to: www.fairhousingfirst.org.

May 21-24, 2006
5th UCLA Conference on Public Health and Disasters Woodland Hills, California
This multidisciplinary conference will bring together scholars, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers from public health, mental health, community disaster preparedness and response, social sciences, government, media, and nongovernmental organizations in a forum that will promote a dialogue and exchange of ideas for improving public health emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Please visit http://www.cphd.ucla.edu/ to register or for more information.

May 23, 2006
Disaster and Emergency Response Summit and Workgroup Meeting II / The Spirit of Recovery: All Hazards Behavioral Health Preparedness and Response - Building on the Lessons of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma New Orleans, LA
The Disaster and Emergency Response Summit and Workgroup meeting will be held in conjunction with the SAMHSA meeting entitled The Spirit of Recovery: All Hazards Behavioral Health Preparedness and Response - Building on the Lessons of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. This summit is being convened as a follow up to previously held training to continue work with States, Territories, and the District of Columbia about disaster planning and meeting behavioral health needs following a disaster. Ten representatives from each State as well as members of the behavioral health constituent communities, representations of professional associations as well as other Federal leaders, have been invited the Summit. It is expected that 600-800 people will attend. Participation is by invitation only.

June 1-2, 2006
National Citizen Corps Council Meeting and Affiliates Meeting Washington, DC
The National Citizen Corps Council annual meeting is confirmed for June 1 from 8:30 - 5:30 at the U. S. Chamber of Commerce building in Washington DC. This meeting will be followed by a half day Affiliates meeting on June 2 at the Chamber building from 8:30 until noon. Following the National Council meeting, Citizen Corps Affiliates will meet to discuss priorities and share effective strategies for supporting community and citizen preparedness in partnership with Citizen Corps. Presentations and workshops will focus on strengthening the Affiliate partnerships with the nationwide network of state and local Citizen Corps Councils. Leaders of national organizations that share Citizen Corps' preparedness mission and participate on the National Citizen Corps Council are invited to attend this annual meeting to work with DHS leadership on priorities for a culture of preparedness.

Program Partners and Affiliates will have an opportunity to provide table top exhibits for the June 1 Annual Meeting. For more information about the conference and to reserve exhibit space visit: http://www.citizencorps.gov.

June 28 - 30, 2006
Federal Conference on Emergency Management and the Disability and Aging Populations Washington, DC
Department of Health and Human services and DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties are jointly sponsoring a conference entitled "Federal Conference on Emergency Management and the Disability and Aging Populations." The purpose of this conference is to bring together Governor-appointed State teams to connect State emergency management officials with key disability and aging experts to work toward integration of efforts within their jurisdiction's emergency management framework; to facilitate cooperative planning with senior officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency regions; and, to identify and institute measurable outcomes and systems for tracking results.

This conference is unique both because of its content and its structure. This first of its kind conference will be exceptional, with presentations by key national leaders on the complex issues facing the disability and aging populations in the face of natural or man-made disasters.

Senior officials from both HHS and DHS will make keynote presentations and will be joined by colleagues from other federal agencies and departments. Top experts from state and local governments and the private sector will also address this conference.

Conference attendance is by invitation only. Each state will appoint a delegation of officials from respective State Emergency Management Agency, State Department of Health, State Office on Aging, the State/Governor's Special Needs Task Force/Office and State Homeland Security Advisor.

Recently Released Resources

Accessible Emergency Notification and Communication: State of the Science Conference ~~Conference materials now available!!

Print materials are now available online from the conference, Accessible Emergency Notification and Communication: State of the Science, held at Gallaudet University in November, 2005 and sponsored by the RERC on Telecommunications Access. The materials are in accessible format.

The conference brought together experts in emergency communications, telecommunications, mass media, and accessibility to share information, develop new partnerships, and create a literature that can serve as groundwork for improvements in the accessibility of notification and communications during emergencies and recovery.

http://tap.gallaudet.edu/emergency/nov05conference/EmergencyCommConf.asp

The site features:
Text of speakers' remarks or summaries (22 speakers)
PowerPoint slides from presentations (18 speakers)
Speaker Bios
Links to Exhibitors
Link to Video Archive
Resources page linking to other reports and organizations doing related work

For additional information, contact EmergencyConf@tap.gallaudet.edu

The RERC on Telecommunications Access is a joint project of Gallaudet University's Technology Access Program and the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Trace Research and Development Center. The RERC is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

University of Washington Unveils Campus Emergency Preparedness Special Needs Study

After nearly 10-months of study, hard work and literally hundreds of interviews, site-visits and meetings, the University Of Washington Office Of Emergency Management is happy to announce that we have completed the first-ever comprehensive "Report on Emergency Preparedness for Special Needs Populations"

This FEMA-funded study, compiled by Ms. Kate Nickel from the UW Office of Emergency Management, demonstrates the current special needs populations on our main Seattle Campus (the "census"), identifies current laws, regulations and requirements as they relate to our special needs populations, and concludes with a number of short- and long-term recommendations to ensure that our Special Needs populations are provided the same level of emergency preparedness as the remainder of the campus community.

The 70-page study and related web-based resources can be found at:
http://www.washington.edu/admin/business/oem/special_needs_resources/

Responding to an Emerging Humanitarian Crisis in Louisiana and Mississippi: Urgent Need for a Health Care "Marshall Plan" released by Operation Assist

he Children's Health Fund has provided urgently needed medical assistance via its state-of-the-art Mobile Medical Units to victims of Hurricane Andrew in Florida in 1992, and at ground zero in New York City after the terror attacks of 9/11. With this experience gained in working with communities in crisis, CHF responded to the urgent health and public health needs of the Gulf Coast region that resulted from Hurricane Katrina by establishing Operation Assist (http://www.childrenshealthfund.org/op_assist.php), in collaboration with the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. The report is available at:
http://www.ncdp.mailman.columbia.edu/files/marshall_plan.pdf.

About the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties oversees the implementation of Executive Order 13347, Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness, which was signed by President Bush in July 2004. This Executive Order is to ensure the safety and security of individuals with disabilities in all-hazard emergency and disaster situations. To this end, the Executive Order created an Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities. The ICC is comprised of senior leadership from more than 20 Federal departments and agencies. Its mission is to ensure that people with disabilities and their specific needs are fully integrated into all aspects of our nation's emergency management system; including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The Secretary of Homeland Security is the Chair of the ICC, and he has delegated that role to Mr. Daniel Sutherland, the DHS Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The Council has concentrated its work in eight major areas:

1. Emergency Communications;
2. Emergency Preparedness in the Workplace;
3. Emergency Transportation;
4. Health;
5. Private Sector Coordination;
6. Research;
7. State, Local and Tribal Government Coordination; and
8. Technical Assistance and Outreach.