Presenter:  
Laney Davidson, County of Marin
Local entities and communities are increasingly planning emergency management and preparedness to handle disasters for the whole community. Emergencies and disasters can be particularly concerning for persons with access and functional needs. Successful outcomes will depend on the inclusiveness of the plans and preparations before the disaster. This session will focus on key emergency management planning and preparedness strategies and approaches for including people with access and functional needs. The presentation will provide primarily the local level of government’s perspective, emergency manager’s need to interact with their ADA Coordinator, and their interactions with the state and federal level agencies.

11:00AM - 12:15PM
Ready, Accessible, Resilient Building Stronger Communities

Presenters:  
Jordan Davis, Disability Rights California Scott Barron, Disability Rights California
‍Emergency preparedness that is inclusive and accessible is a must for non-profits and government agencies. In this session, Jordan Davis disaster resilience attorney, and Scott Barron peer advocate in the Office of Clients’ Rights Advocates, will give insight into the importance of equity in emergency planning for people with disabilities and access and functional needs. Discussion will cover the historical and legal importance of emergency preparedness using case law and real-world examples; as well as provide examples of programs and services organizations can use to better serve their communities. Participants will learn about the importance of accessibility and emergency preparedness from a service provider’s point of view.

11:00AM - 12:15PM
Emergency Preparedness for Caregivers and Consumers Learn what to do before, during and after

Presenters:  
Rachel Kertz, Central Marin Neighborhood Response Group Maureen “Mo” de Nieva-Marsh, Community Action of Marin
‍The caregiver role is a critical lifeline for many older adults and for those with disabilities and developing a shared emergency plan and support agreement is critical. Learn about the Prepared and Resilient Communities (PARC) program, implemented in Marin County, that recognizes different communities need different supportive services to plan and prepare for a disaster. In collaboration with the Community Action Marin, County of Marin, local Fire Departments and community members, PARC reaches under-represented and marginalized communities with a focus on providing a supportive environment to learn about emergency planning. Learn how to establish a PARC program in your community and receive the Caregiver/Consumer Toolkit to support emergency planning and preparedness.

2:30PM - 3:45PM
Creating a Meaningful Disability, Access, and Functional Needs Program to Build Community Resilience and Preparedness

Presenter:  
Rosemary McDonnell, DC Homeland Security & Emergency Management Agency
‍‘Whole Community Inclusion’ has become a well-known buzzword in the realm of homeland security and emergency management, but has it been actualized to its true intent to serve all populations in our nation? This presentation will share the blueprint and strategies to instruct attendees on how to meet accessibility and inclusion compliance from local, state, and federal levels. We will describe tangible initiatives that the District of Columbia has put into place to support emergency operations for all populations, including an accessible shelter toolkit to ensure the CMIST needs of all community members are being met during mass care operations. Through several statewide lawsuits from disability advocacy groups, we have been able to develop lessons learned to lessons applied when it comes to inclusive emergency planning. In this presentation, we will examine a case study of how various state-level lawsuits prompted governments to address a lack of sufficient incorporation of all communities in their planning and resiliency efforts. Best practices will be examined for incorporating these often underserved and overburdened populations into all-hazard emergency plans, as well as how communities can enhance resources, training, and personnel to support these plans. We will use real examples from the District of Columbia and how they created and utilize a Disability Community Advisory Group to inform emergency planning practices such as mass care, evacuation, and transportation

4:00PM - 5:15PM
Emergency Preparedness and the ADA, a Utility Perspective

Presenters:  
Sarah H Lee, Southern California Edison Jennifer Isbell, Pacific Gas and Electric Louis Herrera, Southern California Gas Company
‍What do you do in the event of a utility emergency, such as an outage or gas leak? Is the public prepared, and particularly people with disabilities, to respond in the event of an emergency? Do they know who to call? When? And for what? What is the role of the utility? How do utilities work together with local and state agencies in the event of an emergency?