Learning how to integrate functional needs support services (FNSS) into emergency shelter plans: A scenario-based training approach

This presentation will show public health professionals how to design an interactive, computer-based training course to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in emergency preparedness and response programs. The presenter will demonstrate how the training authors used action mapping, an instructional design technique, to create a real-life scenario in which learners are encouraged to connect and collaborate with people from the disability community on integrating Functional Needs Support Services (FNSS) into a county's emergency shelter plans.

In the scenario shown, learners assume the role of a shelter planner responsible for updating a county's emergency shelter plans. In this role, learners navigate through a series of encounters with community members, advocates, and experts on disabilities, functional needs, and shelter planning. The encounters use everyday dialogue to engage learners in specific planning problems, which are presented as multiple-choice questions. One encounter, for instance, involves the learner hearing from community residents whose durable medical equipment is lost during an emergency evacuation. What planning measures should the learner take to prevent such losses in future emergencies? To answer such questions, learners may access Help screens that provide guidance on legal requirements and best practices for integrating FNSS into emergency shelter plans. Answer choices receive immediate feedback designed to point the learner in the direction of involving people with disabilities in the shelter-planning process.

After the scenario is demonstrated, the presenter will invite the audience to discuss how interactive scenarios might be incorporated into their own training initiatives.