01:03:33 PM Avagene Moore:Welcome to the Virtual Forum and today's Round Table! ... 01:03:54 PM Avagene Moore:We appreciate the presence of everyone today... 01:04:23 PM Avagene Moore:We are pleased to welcome Burt Wallrich as our Guest Host today. ... 01:04:23 PM Avagene Moore:Burt is with INFO-Line of Los Angeles and also serves as Chairman of the South Carolina VOAD. ... 01:04:41 PM Avagene Moore:OOOPs. South California, forgive me Burt! 01:04:57 PM Avagene Moore:Burt agreed to join us at the last minute due to our scheduled speaker not being able to make it today due to health problems. ... 01:05:13 PM Avagene Moore:Burt is a real friend and loyal supporter of the EIIP Virtual Forum --- we do appreciate him. ... 01:05:23 PM Avagene Moore:Burt, Thanks for joining us once again as our speaker in the Virtual Forum. ... 01:05:33 PM Avagene Moore:Burt is here today to talk about mass care of people with disabilities. ... 01:05:48 PM Avagene Moore:Burt Wallrich. 01:05:53 PM BurtWallrich:Especially since I am a last minute pinch hitter... 01:06:08 PM BurtWallrich:I would like everyone to feel free to come in with comments and questions at any time... 01:06:22 PM BurtWallrich:But I would ask that you precede your entry with a so we don't step on each other's input. Thanks. 01:06:36 PM BurtWallrich:For over 2 years Rick Tobin and I have been part of a state-wide committee... 01:06:49 PM BurtWallrich:working to develop policies and procedures for mass care and shelter services for people with disabilities.... 01:07:50 PM BurtWallrich:have any of you been involved in a similar structured dialog on this issue? 01:08:33 PM Sheena Vivian:? 01:08:33 PM BurtWallrich:The primary hurdle for our group has been bridging the gap between disability advocates and mass care providers... 01:08:43 PM BurtWallrich:Go ahead Sheena 01:09:19 PM Russell Coile:? 01:09:22 PM Sheena Vivian:This is a topic that our community has been wrestling with for sometime... 01:10:10 PM Sheena Vivian:it is not only in providing the service but for us it's an issue of locating the people requiring the service. 01:10:41 PM BurtWallrich:Yes. That's important, too. Maybe we can get into that. Russ? 01:10:56 PM Russell Coile:I have been unable to get folks to voluntarily register with the Fire Dept for us to 01:11:22 PM Russell Coile:check on them after an earthquake. 01:11:44 PM BurtWallrich:I think the issue of finding people reflects a deep mistrust on the side of people with Disabilities... 01:12:10 PM BurtWallrich:(PWDs) that the information about them won't in some way be used to segregate or otherwise hurt them. 01:12:19 PM BurtWallrich:The primary hurdle for our group has been bridging the gap between disability advocates and mass care providers... 01:12:37 PM BurtWallrich:The advocates want services provided for PWDs (people with disabilities) in the same settings as those for the general population where ever possible... 01:12:53 PM BurtWallrich:In this, they have the full legal backing of the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act)... 01:13:29 PM BurtWallrich:I think as far as a voluntary registry, or after disaster home checks, it is most practical to work through the ... 01:13:44 PM BurtWallrich:service organizations that the PWDs already relate to and trust. 01:13:53 PM Rick Tobin:(?) 01:14:02 PM BurtWallrich:GA, Rick 01:14:34 PM Rick Tobin:I'd like to spend a little time later in this discussion addressing how to take these discussions and move them to reality. 01:14:52 PM Rick Tobin:I'll pass for now, but I'm approaching this issue head on. 01:14:57 PM BurtWallrich:Definitely. The starting position of the service providers was that this was an impractical demand in a disaster situation... 01:15:31 PM BurtWallrich:Over the course of our work together we have resolved about 90% of these issues... 01:15:44 PM BurtWallrich:A few primary ideas that have broken the impass are... 01:16:00 PM BurtWallrich:(1) A disability is distinct from a medical condition. A person who is blind, hard of hearing, uses a wheelchair, etc... 01:16:14 PM BurtWallrich:Is not thereby sick and in need of medical care... 01:16:32 PM BurtWallrich:(2) As in all other aspects of disaster work, in this area planning is a big part of resolving problems... 01:17:28 PM BurtWallrich:in this case that means pre-identifying likely mass shelter sites and rankign them according to accessibility... 01:17:44 PM BurtWallrich:Whenever possible, only sites that have been identified as fully accessible will be used... 01:18:01 PM BurtWallrich:If necessary, sites that can be made accessible with minor modifications will be used... 01:18:16 PM BurtWallrich:Minor modification would include a temporary ramp, rental of accessible toilets, etc... 01:18:47 PM BurtWallrich:Only in the most extreme cases would facilities that could not be made accessible be used... 01:19:04 PM BurtWallrich:And in those cases provision would be made to transport people to more accessible facilities if necessary... 01:19:29 PM BurtWallrich:Rick, do you want to talk about the Emergency Human Services Disability Coordinator idea? 01:19:41 PM Rick Tobin:Yes, if I may. 01:19:51 PM BurtWallrich:GA 01:19:57 PM Rick Tobin:In 1997, the Dept of Rehabilitation completed a report called... 01:20:31 PM Rick Tobin:Improving Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities in California... 01:21:23 PM Rick Tobin:It recommended a local government position be established in the EOCs that acted as the coordinator for issues dealing with people with disabilities in disaster...(I helped craft the idea and language)... 01:22:31 PM Rick Tobin:That concept has been adapted by the current California committee on ADA compliance in shelter access and services to be a specifically recognized, and officially sanctioned part of the Standarized Emergency Management System in California. 01:22:55 PM Rick Tobin:There are some outstanding discussion areas, however, about how to approach who fills such a position... 01:23:16 PM Rick Tobin:The State (and I) believe it should be left open to local government to decide... 01:23:47 PM Rick Tobin:Others feel it should be more formal, and be only a government employee or someone under contract, who could be from a non-profit, for example... 01:24:06 PM Rick Tobin:In any case, it is a major step forward in planning correctly for all people in disaster. 01:24:13 PM Rick Tobin:Back to you Burt. 01:25:08 PM BurtWallrich:Thanks. It is necessary to appreciate the distance between emergency management and disability advocates... 01:25:20 PM BurtWallrich:Based, in our area at least, on some bad history... 01:25:33 PM BurtWallrich:and significant differences in culture. 01:25:54 PM BurtWallrich:Other issues we have discussed include allowing service animals in the shelters... 01:26:15 PM BurtWallrich:understanding that care-givers of the opposite sex may need to go into bathrooms with the PWD... 01:26:31 PM BurtWallrich:ensuring that if banks of phones are rented that some are at a height for wheelchair users... 01:26:54 PM BurtWallrich:signage is appropriate for partially- sighted people... 01:28:40 PM BurtWallrich:[sorry for the delay, sometimes the cut and paste doesn't work] 01:29:05 PM BurtWallrich:...if a shelter is going to be open for an extended time... 01:29:29 PM BurtWallrich:that there be TDDs (Telephone Devices for the Deaf) as well as regular phones available... 01:29:47 PM BurtWallrich:etc. 01:30:22 PM BurtWallrich:Rick. The question about who fills the Coordinator slot is squarely one of trust... 01:30:47 PM BurtWallrich:The advocates feel that only one of their own, or someone who is closely monitored by the disability community... 01:31:04 PM BurtWallrich:will be sensitive to, knowledgable about, and supportive of their needs. 01:31:40 PM Rick Tobin:It's a fine line. Whoever fills such positions in disaster had better be knowledgeable...that is my concern...that we just get placeholders. 01:32:03 PM BurtWallrich:This is closely related to the question of a pre-disaster registry. Advocates will insist that they control the registry. 01:32:03 PM Rick Tobin:A placeholder would be a disaster. 01:32:24 PM BurtWallrich:Say more about "placeholder" 01:32:25 PM Ellen Smart:May I jump in with an opimion, please 01:32:38 PM BurtWallrich:Sure, Ellen 01:33:10 PM Ellen Smart:Now is the time, before a disaster, to recruit and train a member of the PWD community, like myself, to volunteer in disaster. 01:33:36 PM BurtWallrich:Yes, yes! Where are you from? 01:33:47 PM Rick Tobin:Hallelujah to that!! 01:34:11 PM Ellen Smart:There are many, like myself, who are able and willing to learn and put back into the community 01:34:20 PM Avagene Moore:(Input a ? if you have a question or comment, please. Wait to be recognized but you can go ahead and compose your input.) 01:34:30 PM Ellen Smart:Identifying us may be your biggest difficulty 01:34:45 PM Kevin Farrell:? 01:35:07 PM Ellen Smart:end. 01:35:42 PM Avagene Moore:Kevin. 01:35:47 PM BurtWallrich:Kevin, GA 01:35:50 PM Kevin Farrell:Ellen is right. We wanted to build a registry of people with special needs into our CAD/GIS... 01:36:27 PM Kevin Farrell:but we were told that the information was confidential, and we couldn't get it unless the people wanted us to have it. 01:36:43 PM Kevin Farrell:it became a catch 22 01:36:56 PM BurtWallrich:We want to bring the disability and seniors organizations... 01:37:10 PM BurtWallrich:into our local VOAD or other disaster coalitions... 01:37:22 PM BurtWallrich:have them maintain the registries... 01:37:35 PM BurtWallrich:and be trained and responsible for post- disaster home checks. 01:38:27 PM BurtWallrich:Rick, I would still like some more about "placeholders." What is that? 01:38:42 PM Rick Tobin:May I? 01:38:55 PM BurtWallrich:Yes, please. 01:39:02 PM Rick Tobin:Sometimes organizations are limited in their scope of "internal" resources... 01:39:19 PM Rick Tobin:they need to fill a position but don't have people with the skills or experience... 01:39:36 PM cindy rice:Kevin ? 01:39:43 PM Rick Tobin:sometimes they also promise that these people will be trained and go through drills/exercises... 01:40:30 PM Rick Tobin:but somtimes doesn't always work out, and more than once I've seen some poor soul filling a critical position at 3:00 a.m. who hasn't got a clue to what their are supposed to do...those are place holders. 01:41:04 PM BurtWallrich:Thanks. Cindy, you have a ? for Kevin? GA 01:41:08 PM cindy rice:Have you thought of a layer of a general area of people who have special needs to target an area without iding individuals that need specicific help Special populations? 01:41:55 PM Kevin Farrell:I'm not sure I follow you Cindy... 01:42:51 PM cindy rice:a thematic layer in a gis that shows a geographic area that there are a number of people with sepcial needs that are not identified by name or specicfic house number. 01:43:18 PM Rick Tobin:(?) 01:43:50 PM BurtWallrich:I understand your concern Rick. The advocates' concern is that this position not become like many of the local ADA coordinators who are seen as disconnected from the people they are supposed to serve. GA, Rick 01:44:17 PM Rick Tobin:I'd like to address Cindy's question to Kevin. 01:44:25 PM BurtWallrich:GA 01:44:37 PM Kevin Farrell:even that would help, however the disability coordinator told us the info is privilaged information that she cannot release without permission. 01:45:01 PM cindy rice:? 01:45:15 PM BurtWallrich:First Rick, then Cindy. 01:45:26 PM Rick Tobin:There have been some early attempts to do a GIS tiger map format, based on census data from Health Services agencies, but the information is so fleeting, you can only get general pictures. Truly accurate data in high population areas would be extremely expensive to maintain. 01:45:37 PM Sheena Vivian:? 01:45:49 PM BurtWallrich:Cindy, then Sheena. 01:45:58 PM cindy rice:there are ways that can be used - the listing of nursing homes, elderly care facilitiites, long-term or hospice care, hospitals which is common knowledge 01:46:39 PM Kevin Farrell:Maybe I should have qualified our situation.... we're a military facility. An Army post. 01:46:48 PM cindy rice:? 01:47:05 PM Avagene Moore:Sheena is next, then Cindy. 01:47:50 PM Sheena Vivian:General info on GIS would not help us much. First we don't have areas where there are dense populations of PWD's. Second if we are evacuating an area, and are concerned about PWD's general info won't really help. 01:47:56 PM Ellen Smart:(?) 01:48:01 PM cindy rice:Army post with a commitment to the surrounding community right? which would mean that you could/should take into account the community. right. or right? 01:48:11 PM BurtWallrich:Cindy, those lists you suggest would miss the PWDs that live independently but might be very vulnerable in a disaster. 01:48:20 PM BurtWallrich:Ellen, GA 01:48:56 PM Ellen Smart:Our 800mhz system uses SE GIS information, but that depends on voluntary input. 01:49:21 PM Ellen Smart:For Medical alert and most people feel that the need privacy 01:49:29 PM Avagene Moore:One more question or comment to Burt. Time is about up for today. 01:49:39 PM Ellen Smart:we advertise through word of mouth to reach the special needs population 01:50:13 PM Avagene Moore:Burt, do you have a closing statement for us? 01:50:36 PM Avagene Moore:Final remarks from the audience? 01:50:41 PM Isabel McCurdy:? 01:50:44 PM BurtWallrich:I would just sum-up by suggesting the position that PWDs are to be seen and served like the rest of the population except where there is a specific, known difference. 01:50:48 PM Avagene Moore:Yes, Isabel. 01:51:12 PM Isabel McCurdy:You need a PWP educated in emergency management. 01:51:21 PM Rick Tobin:(?) 01:51:26 PM Avagene Moore:Yes, Rick. 01:51:28 PM Rick Tobin:After ten years of exhaustive research in the sheltering area, I've now formed a new non-profit called the Landark Shelter Project... 01:52:11 PM Rick Tobin:it will be a first of its kind, all purpose regional disaster shelter site for all people, for animals, and for medical needs. It will also feature a training center to teach others how to do this economically. 01:52:35 PM Avagene Moore:Thank you, Rick, sounds very interesting. Good luck to you in this endeavor..... 01:52:41 PM Rick Tobin:thx 01:52:46 PM BurtWallrich:Sounds very interesting, Rick. Do you have a written description? 01:53:04 PM Avagene Moore:Burt, thanks so much for filling in for us in such a wonderful fashion ... 01:53:16 PM Avagene Moore:Burt is a true professional... 01:53:45 PM Avagene Moore:If I might give you tomorrow's promo... 01:53:58 PM Avagene Moore:Tomorrow's Virtual Library presentation is "An Assessment of the Transportation of Extremely Hazardous Substances for the Southern Mississippi River 01:54:08 PM Avagene Moore:Corridor." ... 01:54:19 PM Avagene Moore:The author of the Virtual Library will be John C. Pine, Ed.D., LSU. ... 01:54:37 PM Avagene Moore:Erno Sajo, Associate Professor at LSU, also plans to be in the Virtual Library to help with any questions you may have related to the paper. ... 01:54:49 PM Avagene Moore:This study will be of great interest to emergency management practitioners and responders of all disciplines. ... 01:54:58 PM Avagene Moore:Background information: http://www.emforum.org/vlibrary/980902.htm 01:55:12 PM Avagene Moore:Thursday evening, 8:00 PM EDT, is the 'Mutual Aid' session. We will use that online time to continue planning for WEBEX, an online hazmat exercise, to be conducted by the EIIP during the Fall Virtual Fire & Rescue Expo (VFRE) Nov 1-15, 1998. 01:55:30 PM Avagene Moore:Burt, thank you! To our audience, thank you for being here today.. 01:55:34 PM BurtWallrich:This has been interesting and helpful. Thanks, all.