FW: REMINDER: FEMA Supports Promising Practices for the Whole Community
Sarah Yates
Sarah C. Yates
From: FEMA-Disability-Integration-Coordination [mailto:FEMA-Disability-Inte...@fema.dhs.gov]
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 4:30 PM
Subject: REMINDER: FEMA Supports Promising Practices for the Whole Community
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Federal Emergency Management Agency
ODIC Hosts Promising Practices for the Whole Community
Webinar Series Part One
FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) announces the first of our yearlong series of webinars on promising practices for the inclusion of people with
disabilities and others with access and functional needs in emergency preparedness and disaster response and recovery.
Please join us on March 11 from 2-4 EST as we are joined by Richard Devylder, with the California Office of Emergency Services and Sheri Farinha, from NorCal Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
When: March 11, 2014
Time: 2:00 pm -4:00 pm EST
Web Conference URL: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/ca-dri/
(PLEASE NOTE SPACE IS LIMITED AND ENTRY IS ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS)
Captioning for this meeting is available:
http://fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=2329562&CustomerID=321
Currently most disaster and emergency response systems do not adequately address the communication access needs of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, causing a lack of access to important and lifesaving information and services. The complexities of language
and cultural differences pose serious barriers to first responders and emergency providers in reaching people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Sign language interpreters are key cultural and linguistic linkages providing access to actionable information. The
Office for Access and Functional Needs (OAFN) was created within California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) in 2008 with the purpose of identifying the needs of people with disabilities before, during and after a disaster and integrating disability
needs and resources into all aspects of emergency management systems. Cal OES, through OAFN established the Disaster Response Interpreter (DRI) training program to credential certified sign language interpreters, formalizing a statewide system of securing
and deploying qualified interpreters during a disaster to provide communication access for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. This Webinar will provide an overview of California’s DRI Program with recommendations on how this promising practice can be replicated.
If you are unable to attend this session, the recording of this series will be made available on http://www.fema.gov/office-disability-integration-coordination at a later date.