Improving Emergency Preparedness for Ohioans with Disabilities: Implementing a Broad Impact Approach

People with disabilities (PWD) make up approximately 18% of the U.S. population; 97% of PWD live in the community and may have functional needs that require accommodations during emergency response. These individuals suffer worse health outcomes during disasters, which could be improved by addressing functional needs in preparedness planning at the individual, community, and state level. The Ohio Disability and Health Program’s (ODHP) 2013 Needs Assessment found that the majority of PWD (60%) did not have an emergency plan; of those, 69.4% do not know where to access planning information. Additionally, there is no requirement for disability education among first responders, and evidence suggests that PWD are poorly represented in the public emergency planning process.

With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ODHP has implemented a broad impact approach to improve emergency preparedness and response for PWD in Ohio. This approach addresses multi-leveled gaps in preparedness and engages the disability community along with local, state, and national partners.  Efforts include the development of Continuing Education trainings for first responders and emergency planners; providing preparedness trainings for PWD and caregivers; disseminating preparedness tool-kits and resources; and providing technical assistance regarding functional needs in the state emergency operations plan. In 2014, spurred by collaborations with ODHP, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency hosted a Functional Needs Summit to engage planning and response partners throughout the state and to identify gaps in emergency response for PWD. Collectively, these initiatives are creating a foundation to sustainably address preparedness for PWD in Ohio.