[NFBV-Potomac-Announce] FW: How can we help the blind community in disasters?

Tue Aug 25 19:55:12 UTC 2020

Hello Friends,

Tracy received the below message on August 16.  I emailed the sender with questions.  Below is the original message, my questions and the excellent responses.

This is  something some members may wish to consider now or in the Spring.

Please follow-up with the links listed in the emails below.  They offer great explanations.  The invitation for our participation is exciting.

The attachment may not open.  I think the folder in my computer where it is located may be corrupted.  I will send it when I can.
John

From: Arlington CERT Community Outreach Coordinator <certarlingtonva.outreach at gmail.com<mailto:certarlingtonva.outreach at gmail.com>>
Date: August 15, 2020 at 7:20:07 PM EDT
To: Tracy.Soforenko at gmail.com<mailto:Tracy.Soforenko at gmail.com>
Cc: Les Garrison <certarlingtonva at gmail.com<mailto:certarlingtonva at gmail.com>>
Subject: How can we help the blind community in disasters?

Dear Mr. Soforenko,

When disaster strikes, community readiness is essential to an effective crisis response so the Arlington Community Emergency Response Team (ArlCERT) wants to work with blind (or low vision) community members to prepare for all types of disasters.

In this regard, ArlCERT invites NFB of Virginia members to attend a free all-abilities CERT Basic Training (CBT) online this fall.

Founded in September 2002, ArlCERT has trained over 900 community members - from youth to seniors who live, work, attend school, or volunteer extensively in Arlington County - in CERT disaster response, fire safety, basic first aid care, search and rescue, and terrorism awareness.

Arlington County has seen evidence many times of how valuable the CERT program and its volunteers are. Arlington County Emergency Management mobilized ArlCERT volunteers to conduct damage assessments after Hurricane Isabel, the 2012 derecho, and the 2019 flooding; and to distribute meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CBT will provide NFB members with resources to help reduce the personal impact of a large-scale emergency as well as provide opportunities to support those in crisis through volunteer efforts. It will also be an excellent opportunity for ArlCERT to better serve the blind (or low vision) community.

The next ArlCERT Basic Training starts September 9 in English and November 4 in Spanish (for 8 sessions) via Zoom. The sessions will be repeated in spring 2021.

For more information about CERT, visit https://emergency.arlingtonva.us/get-involved/cert/<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Femergency.arlingtonva.us%2Fget-involved%2Fcert%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cc563f9bf2b32485fb25908d841f55b68%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637331869333050088&sdata=cNV8UUP0YZ72RomvKqj51kAWU1Ih%2FfRUbWbPULMs%2FVw%3D&reserved=0>.

Thank you in advance for sharing this training invitation to your chapter. We look forward to your participation.

Best regards,
Chasta

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[cid:image002.jpg at 01D67AF8.1B7C0900]

Chasta Piatakovas (she/her/hers)
Community Outreach Coordinator & Engagement Liaison
Arlington CERT
https://emergency.arlingtonva.us/get-involved/cert/<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Femergency.arlingtonva.us%2Fget-involved%2Fcert%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cc563f9bf2b32485fb25908d841f55b68%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637331869333050088&sdata=cNV8UUP0YZ72RomvKqj51kAWU1Ih%2FfRUbWbPULMs%2FVw%3D&reserved=0>
http://arlingtoncert.org/<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Farlingtoncert.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cc563f9bf2b32485fb25908d841f55b68%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637331869333060079&sdata=VKsuZo0R5nsvnpt%2FpMhr9v4348utZ4oRfnQIiJskVJs%3D&reserved=0>
https://www.facebook.com/arlingtonvacert/<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Farlingtonvacert%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cc563f9bf2b32485fb25908d841f55b68%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637331869333060079&sdata=THo4vqXCsNfnImkfUp36WHvWIKTr%2B7TDuXPwidUP5AA%3D&reserved=0>

For some reason I could not copy all of
the  header material to the below email.

From: Arlington CERT Community Outreach Coordinator <certarlingtonva.outreach at gmail.com<mailto:certarlingtonva.outreach at gmail.com>>
TO: John Halverson
Date: August 18

MR Halverson,
     Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) in general want, and the Arlington CERT in particular wants, to use every person's abilities to the maximum extent possible. We do not have a separate course to accommodate blind (or low vision) community members. We have had a number of persons with disabilities take ArlCERT training in the past, including those with low vision, hearing impairments, and physical mobility issues, and strength issues. We currently have 2 members who are legally blind, but who have some limited ability to see. (One of them is one of the premier moulage artists in this area; a skill she learned initially as part of the CERT.)

     Can you help us learn how to adapt CERT Basic Training (CBT) and operations to maximize learning for our blind/low vision community members?

    Note that although we train people who do not have to stay with their Neighborhood CERTs, ideally we hope to train and retain people who will be available in the event that we are activated. The range of possibilities for what we might be deployed is unlimited, so the skill-set required for any given mobilization is also indeterminately large.

     Currently our classes are scheduled for no contact. We are planning in-person training for whenever we can do so, based on the situation with COVID-19, probably after November. We have CBT Class Online20-66 in September and Online20-67 (Spanish Language) in November. We will have more classes probably in the March/April 2020 time frame.

    Attached is the current schedule.
Thanks. Sincerely, Les Garrison C703-967-4291, Arlington CERT Coordinator
https://emergency.arlingtonva.us/get-involved/cert/<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Femergency.arlingtonva.us%2Fget-involved%2Fcert%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C95758c4b52a14faada1208d843c6a3b9%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637333867906518362&sdata=5s%2F29B2iAVA7NxgSxQjUGtnyGLL8JKBgqyt7AbmmErU%3D&reserved=0>
http://arlingtoncert.org/<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Farlingtoncert.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C95758c4b52a14faada1208d843c6a3b9%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637333867906518362&sdata=79fnIjdotAqH0iv1%2FsdVAYmP21Ygcyosul3smxSHmrs%3D&reserved=0>     https://www.facebook.com/arlingtonvacert/<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Farlingtonvacert%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C95758c4b52a14faada1208d843c6a3b9%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637333867906518362&sdata=oqn3igwvIKzQzVMzVjt8GvjXnxWxfLUkpc84472Z5fs%3D&reserved=0>
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: John Halverson <jwh100 at outlook.com<mailto:jwh100 at outlook.com>>
Date: Tue, Aug 18, 2020 at 4:03 PM
Subject: How Can we Help the Blind Community in Disasters
To: certarlingtonva.outreach at gmail.com<mailto:certarlingtonva.outreach at gmail.com> <certarlingtonva.outreach at gmail.com<mailto:certarlingtonva.outreach at gmail.com>>
Cc: Tracy Soforenko <tracy.soforenko at gmail.com<mailto:tracy.soforenko at gmail.com>>, Christine Grassman <cfgrassman at icloud.com<mailto:cfgrassman at icloud.com>>

Hello Chasta,

Tracy Soforenko asked me to provide follow-up to your email.

First, I believe some of our membership may well be interested in your offered training.  As members of the Arlington community we should participate in its opportunities.

I do have some questions before I report back to  Tracy.

In your email you first indicate “When disaster strikes, community readiness is essential to an effective crisis response so the Arlington Community Emergency Response Team (ArlCERT) wants to work with blind (or low vision) community members to prepare for all types of disasters.”  That is great.  I am particularly please that you invite us to  take your basic training course.  This is much better than simply offering advice to the existing CERT organization.

We are invited to take  part in the All Abilities ArlCERT basic training.  Is this the usual basic training course?  Your websites do not  reference  an all abilities training opportunity.

When available, will this training involve the hands-on portion of the training experience?

How will diagrams and photographic materials in the Zoom presentations be made accessible?

Your websites reference reading materials for study between Zoom sessions,  are these materials accessible?  For example, PDF images are not usually accessible.

Finally, what time of day are the Zoom sessions planned?

Thank you for your interest.

John Halverson, Ph.D., Corresponding Secretary
Potomac  Chapter, National Federation of the Blind

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