[Nfbc-info] Help teach first responders about people with access and functional needs

[ckrugman at sbcglobal.net]

Help us teach first responders about people with access and     functional needs

Richard Devylder of the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) has hired the emergency management consulting firm Nusura and Disability Policy Consultant June Isaacson Kailes to help communities in California better meet the needs of people with access and functional needs during an emergency. As part of the project we are producing a video to help first responders to better consider the needs of people with access and functional needs. We are searching for volunteers with hearing and vision limitations, including service animal users, people who use wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and other mobility aids as well as those who have understanding limitations to participate in a video shoot. 

The filming will take place on June 3 in  the Los Angeles area. It will include a short interview and some shooting of footage of people interacting with first responders. For those participating, the filming will take about two to three hours, and we will need to film in and around your home or apartment. Time of day of the shoot will depend on those who volunteer to participate and their physical location. 

To see examples of how the interviews may be used, you can use the link below to check out an online toolkit produced by Cal EMA about issues related to evacuating people with access and functional needs:

http://www.nusura.com/media/projects/Cal_EMA_Toolkit/overview.html

Volunteers will receive a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com. If you are interested, please contact Mark Amann by phone at 303.789.9289 or by email at mark.amann at nusura.com. If you are unable or uninterested in volunteering, please forward this note to someone who may be interested. We will need to hear back from people by 5:00 on Tuesday, June 1.

Thanks in advance for helping us make California a safer, better prepared place.

 

If you will be in Los Angeles on June 3rd and are interested in participating or know others who are, please contact Mark Amann by phone at 303.789.9289 or by email at mark.amann at nusura.com.

 

Marcie Roth
Director

Office of Disability Integration and Coordination
Department of Homeland Security/ FEMA

202.212.1537 (office)

202.285.9231 (cell)

marcie.roth at dhs.gov

 

"FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve  our capacity to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards."