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In case of emergency…

by Beth

This is the first post I’ve written for the Easter Seals blog where I hope readers get halfway through, quit reading, and move on to something else. What I mean is, I really hope none of you are eligible to complete this survey, that none of you have had to endure a frightening storm. But in today’s climate, maybe that’s too much to wish for.

Here’s the thing: The Center on Disability at the Public Health Institute has combined with the Center for Personal Assistance Services at University of California – San Francisco to collect emergency and disaster experience stories from individuals with disabilities who use personal assistance services. The folks conducting the survey call it an “opportunity to share what you have learned in surviving an emergency” and expect these experiences to lead to valuable lessons, techniques, strategies, and skills. To participate, you must :

  • Use one or more personal assistants (also known as an attendant or caregiver). This can be someone who you pay for, or someone who volunteers to assist you, including family members or friends.
  • Have in the last 5 years (since 2008), lived through a large emergency (such as, but not limited to, a storm, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, fire, flood, heat or cold wave, power outage, or chemical spill.
  • Be interested in helping others understand and learn from your emergency experience.
  • Be willing to share your written or recorded story on the Center for Personal Assistance Services website.

They point out that By “large emergency” they mean an incident that effected a large physical area, affected many people and overwhelmed local resources and led to the state and possibly FEMA responding. If this is all true for you, then first, and most importantly, I’m glad you are okay! and second, these people would love to have you link to their survey to share your experiences, which may very likely help someone else in the future .

In the meantime, I encourage you to link to the Easter Seals S.A.F.E.T.Y. First page to take a look at our list of tips to prepare for emergencies. S.A.F.E.T.Y. First is a community-based effort to help everyone, especially individuals with disabilities, plan and prepare for personal safety in emergencies.


 

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