Miss-Delectable
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Officials look to meet needs of disabled
NEW ORLEANS — Awareness of what needs to be done legally for persons with disabilities in case of a hurricane or other emergencies is nearly non-existent and not likely to get better unless those who need the help start to make some noise, federal advocates for the disabled said at a workshop at the National Hurricane Conference.
Legal requirements specify people with disabilities be treated equally and fairly like the general population at a hurricane shelter, said Alan Clive, civil rights program manager for the Office of Equal Rights for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hurricane shelters are public accommodations and fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, he said,
One big problem, he said, is that shelter staff often are not able to deal with people with disabilities such as those who are blind and accompanied by guide dogs or people who are deaf.
Guide dogs for the blind, which often have $20,000 worth of training, are often made to stay outside like a pet. Inside, the shelter staff are required to do a few minor things to help a blind person maintain himself or herself, said Clive, who is blind.
"I need assistance going to the restroom. I need assistance getting into the feeding line." Still others might need their food cut up, he said.
"Some agencies don't know what to do. We help you learn what to do ... to learn how to deal with people with rights with disabilities."
The Sept. 11 terrorist attack shed more light on people with disabilities and how they were not being provided for, said Claudia L. Gordon, attorney adviser for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
"How do you remove them from a 20th-floor high-rise building? There were no plans," she said.
Gordon, who is deaf, used sign language and a human interpreter to make her presentation. There has been progress since Sept. 11, and many private, nonprofit groups have responded to the issue, she said.
"The community has to address the issue regardless of complications," she said. "Responses must be tailored to fit specific needs of specific disability populations."
Gordon outlined some challenges:
• Making sure elevators can be used during an emergency
• Ensuring the availability and effectiveness of having an evacuation chair and other types of evacuation equipment
• Communicating emergency and evacuation instructions to people with hearing disabilities.
"If I'm deaf, I don't know why people are getting up and running away," she said.
• Providing safe and effective evacuation of people who are blind.
NEW ORLEANS — Awareness of what needs to be done legally for persons with disabilities in case of a hurricane or other emergencies is nearly non-existent and not likely to get better unless those who need the help start to make some noise, federal advocates for the disabled said at a workshop at the National Hurricane Conference.
Legal requirements specify people with disabilities be treated equally and fairly like the general population at a hurricane shelter, said Alan Clive, civil rights program manager for the Office of Equal Rights for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hurricane shelters are public accommodations and fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, he said,
One big problem, he said, is that shelter staff often are not able to deal with people with disabilities such as those who are blind and accompanied by guide dogs or people who are deaf.
Guide dogs for the blind, which often have $20,000 worth of training, are often made to stay outside like a pet. Inside, the shelter staff are required to do a few minor things to help a blind person maintain himself or herself, said Clive, who is blind.
"I need assistance going to the restroom. I need assistance getting into the feeding line." Still others might need their food cut up, he said.
"Some agencies don't know what to do. We help you learn what to do ... to learn how to deal with people with rights with disabilities."
The Sept. 11 terrorist attack shed more light on people with disabilities and how they were not being provided for, said Claudia L. Gordon, attorney adviser for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
"How do you remove them from a 20th-floor high-rise building? There were no plans," she said.
Gordon, who is deaf, used sign language and a human interpreter to make her presentation. There has been progress since Sept. 11, and many private, nonprofit groups have responded to the issue, she said.
"The community has to address the issue regardless of complications," she said. "Responses must be tailored to fit specific needs of specific disability populations."
Gordon outlined some challenges:
• Making sure elevators can be used during an emergency
• Ensuring the availability and effectiveness of having an evacuation chair and other types of evacuation equipment
• Communicating emergency and evacuation instructions to people with hearing disabilities.
"If I'm deaf, I don't know why people are getting up and running away," she said.
• Providing safe and effective evacuation of people who are blind.