New local guide to help with disabled emergency planning | 08.10.2006 | 02:30:14 | Views: 5130 | ID: August 10 '06: A new guide for local governments helping to identify the best ways to respond to an emergency situation involving people with disabilities has been published, a Justice Department press release announced Tuesday. The ADA Guide for Local Governments: Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to People with Disabilities, was created to "meet the unique needs of people with disabilities during natural and civil emergencies," the DOJ press release said. Wan J. Kim, the assistant Attorney General at the DOJ's Civil Rights Division said, "Recent events taught us that ll people with disabilities can be among the most vulnerable members of our communities during an emergency or natural disaster. ... All public officials should learn from the lessons of Hurricane Katrina and go forward better prepared to meet the needs of all of their citizens." "We hope all local officials will find this publication valuable and will follow the action steps it describes," Kim said. The plans include four points to help guide the emergency planning process: preparation of emergency response and evacuation plans; notification of the public depending on their special needs; response the the emergency taking into consideration the situation; and cleaning up after the event. Steps to consider in the new guide include creating emergency response plans which account for people needing to help those with wheelchairs, canes or crutches as well as plans that include " people who use oxygen or respirators, people who are blind or who have low vision, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people who have a cognitive disability, people with mental illness, and those with other types of disabilities."
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