Remembering the special-needs population during disaster - Are emergency management teams adequately prepared to handle special-needs scenarios?

http://www.homeland1.com/Emergency-Management-Operations/articles/764609-Remembering-the-special-needs-population-during-disaster/

In an article that appeared in New Mobility magazine ("Are We Ready for an Emergency?" August 2009), Chip Wilson, Florida's statewide disability coordinator for emergency management, was quoted as saying that "for far too long, people with disabilities have been an afterthought by many involved in emergency management."

In support of that statement, disability advocate and Mercer County (N.J.) CERT member Norman Smith, who has cerebral palsy, added that for many years, "On the emergency management side, there was the assumption that someone else was 'responsible' for us--an agency, an institution, a parent, or the health care system."

Recognizing that changes needed to be made, the National Council on Disability commissioned our organization to conduct extensive empirical research on emergency management issues pertaining to people with disabilities. The resulting report of over 500 pages examines all phases of emergency management.