Individuals with Disabilities
Individuals
with disabilities need special consideration when preparing for a
disaster. Below are numerous resources that help individuals and families with
special needs plan and prepare for any emergency. Take the time to prepare
ahead of time before a disaster strikes. It could save their life.
Nevada Disability Statistics
There
are an estimated 269,000 people in the state of Nevada over the age of five who
have a form of disability. Approximately 50,000 people, or 2.3% of the state's
population, experience difficulties with performing activities of daily living
such as dressing, bathing, or getting around inside of their homes.
There
are around 138,000 people in the state who have a form of work disability, and
around 58,000 people with disabilities in Nevada who are employed. Around 8,000
people with disabilities in the state are unemployed, while 77,000 are
currently not in the workforce. Source - Disabled World
Additional
statistical information on people with disabilities in Nevada.
Center for Disease Control and
Prevention - State Profile Data for Nevada
Disability Status Report for
Nevada - Cornell University
Get Informed
- Know what
disasters could affect your area, which could call for an evacuation and
when to shelter in place.
- Keep
a NOAA Weather Radio tuned to your
local emergency station and monitor TV, radio, and follow mobile alert and
mobile warnings about severe weather in your area.
- Download
the FEMA app, receive weather alerts from the National Weather Service
for up to five different locations anywhere in the United States.
Make A Plan
How might a disaster
affect you? Could you make it on your own for at least three days? After a
disaster, you may not have access to a medical facility or even a drugstore, so
it’s crucial to plan for the resources you use regularly, and what you would do
if those resources are limited or not available. Additional planning steps
should include:
- Create
a support network. Keep a contact list in a watertight container in your emergency kit.
- Be
ready to explain to first responders that you need to evacuate and choose
to go to a shelter with your family, service animal, caregiver, personal
assistant, and your assistive technology devices and supplies.
- Plan
ahead for accessible transportation that you may need for evacuation or
getting to a medical clinic. Work with local services, public
transportation or paratransit to identify your local or private accessible
transportation options.
- Inform
your support network where you keep your emergency supplies; you may want
to consider giving one member a key to your house or apartment.
- Contact
your city or county government’s emergency management agency or office.
Many local offices keep lists of people with disabilities so they can be
helped quickly in a sudden emergency.
- If
you are dependent on dialysis or other life-sustaining treatment, know the
location and availability of more than one facility.
- If
you use medical equipment in your home that requires electricity, talk to
your doctor or health care provider about how you can prepare for its use
during a power outage.
- Wear
medical alert tags or bracelets.
- If
you have a communication disability, make sure your emergency information
notes the best way to communicate with you.
- If
you use an augmentative communications device or other assistive
technologies, plan how you will evacuate with the devices or how you will
replace equipment if lost or destroyed. Keep model information and
note where the equipment came from (Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance,
etc.)
- If
you use assistive technology devices, such as white canes, CCTV,
text-to-speech software, keep information about model numbers and where
you purchased the equipment, etc.
- Plan
how you will communicate with others if your equipment is not working, including
laminated cards with phrases, pictures or pictograms.
- Keep
Braille/text communication cards, if used, for 2-way communication.
- Preparedness tips for
diabetics.
- The
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services online
tool helps people locate and access their electronic health
records from a variety of sources.
- Plan
for children with disabilities and people, who may have difficulty in
unfamiliar or chaotic environments.
Get Your Benefits Electronically
A disaster can disrupt
mail service for days or weeks. If you depend on Social Security or other
regular benefits, switching to electronic payments is a simple, significant way
to protect yourself financially before disaster strikes. It also eliminates the
risk of stolen checks. The U.S. Department of the Treasury recommends two safer
ways to get federal benefits:
- Direct
deposit to a checking or savings account. Federal benefit recipients can
sign up by calling (800) 333-1795 or sign up online
- The Direct Express® prepaid debit card is
designed as a safe and easy alternative to paper checks. Call toll-free at
(877) 212-9991 or sign up online
Build A Kit
In addition to having your basic survival
supplies, an emergency
kit should contain
items to meet your individual needs in various emergencies. Consider the items
you use on a daily basis and which ones you may need to add to your kit.
Tips for People who are deaf or hard of hearing:
- A weather radio with text display and a flashing alert
- Extra hearing-aid batteries
- A TTY
- Pen and paper in case you have to communicate with
someone who does not know sign language
Tips for People who are blind or have
low vision:
- Mark emergency supplies with
Braille labels or large print. Keep a list of your emergency
supplies, and where you bought it, on a portable flash drive, or make an
audio file that is kept in a safe place where you can access it.
- Keep a Braille, or Deaf-Blind
communications device as part of your emergency supply kit.
Tips for People with Speech Disability:
- If you use an augmentative
communications device or other assistive technologies, plan how you will
evacuate with the devices or how you will replace equipment if lost or
destroyed. Keep Model information, where the equipment came from
(Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, etc.)
- Plan how you will communicate
with others if your equipment is not working, including laminated cards
with phrases and/or pictogram.
Tips for People with a mobility
disability:
- If you use a power wheelchair,
if possible, have a lightweight manual chair available as a backup. Know
the size and weight of your wheelchair in addition to whether or not it is
collapsible, in case it has to be transported.
- Show others how to operate
your wheelchair. Know the size and weight of your wheelchair, in addition
to whether or not it is collapsible, in case it has to be transported.
- Purchase an extra battery for
a power wheelchair or other battery-operated medical or assistive
technology devices. If you are unable to purchase an extra battery, find
out what agencies, organizations, or local charitable groups can help you
with the purchase. Keep extra batteries on a trickle charger at all times.
- Consider keeping a patch kit
or can of sealant for flat tires and/or extra inner tube if wheelchair or
scooter is not puncture proof.
- Keep an extra mobility device
such as a cane or walker, if you use one.
- If you use a seat cushion to
protect your skin or maintain your balance, and you must evacuate without
your wheelchair, take your cushion with you.
Tips for individuals who may need
behavioral support:
- Plan for children with disabilities and people including
individuals who may have post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), who may have
difficulty in unfamiliar or chaotic environments.
- This may include handheld
electronic devices loaded with movies and games (and spare chargers),
sheets and twine or a small pop up tent to decrease visual stimulation in
a busy room or to provide instant privacy, headphones to decrease
auditory distractions, and comfort snacks and toys that meet needs for
stimulation.
Additional Items:
- At least a
week-long supply of prescription medicines, along with a list of all
medications, dosage, and any allergies
- Extra eyeglasses
and hearing-aid batteries
- Extra wheelchair
batteries (manual wheelchair if possible) and/or oxygen
- A list of the
style and serial number of medical devices. Include special instructions for
operating your equipment if needed.
- Copies of medical
insurance and Medicare cards
- Contact
information for doctors, relatives or friends who should be notified if you are
hurt.
- Pet food, extra
water, collar with ID tag, medical records and other supplies for your service animal
- Handheld
electronic devices loaded with movies and games (and spare chargers),
headphones to decrease auditory distractions, and comfort snacks and toys that
meet needs for stimulation.
Communication Methods for the Blind and Deaf Population
Alphabet Gloves
A glove is worn with letters and numbers printed on it. A sighted
person spells words by touching the appropriate letter on the glove. The
deaf-blind person can tell which letters are meant by knowing which part of the
hand was touched. The deaf-blind person must remember where each letter appears
on the glove in order to interpret the touches correctly. This is a cumbersome
communication method, but it works well when no other system is available.
Manual Alphabet
The manual alphabet is a series of hand motions which depicts
letters. In some instances, the fingers are positioned to resemble print
letters. Other letters are formed by arbitrary hand positions which bear no
resemblance to print symbols. The basics of the alphabet can be learned in a
few hours. It takes a good deal of practice to develop speed. The deaf-blind
person reads by placing his or her hand over the hand of the person making the
letters. It's possible to communicate at a speed similar to that used in
shorthand dictation. An interpreter must summarize speeches, lectures, and
ordinary conversation. The manual alphabet can be one of the quickest and most
versatile communication methods for a deaf-blind person.
Print-in-Palm
It is possible to communicate with deaf-blind people by tracing the
shapes of block letters on the palm of their hand with an index finger. Capital
letters should be printed and cursive writing should be avoided.
Sign Language
Some deaf-blind people were
deaf from birth and became blind as teenagers or adults. They prefer the sign
language used by deaf people. Instead of watching the hands and arms of
friends, they touch the hands of the person making the signs to learn what is
being said. It is usually necessary to restrict the movements involved in
making signs so that a deaf-blind person can follow along conveniently. This
system can lead to confusion. It requires the speaker to have extensive
training in sign language. However, it is possible to interpret as quickly as
English is spoken using this method.
Tadoma
Tadoma is lip reading by touch.
It is not very popular because it is hard to do and not very accurate.
Tellatouch
This device is portable and
weighs less than four pounds. It consists of a small typewriter keyboard which
the interpreter uses to pass on information. The deaf-blind person sits
opposite the typist and places a finger on a small Braille "screen."
Each letter that is typed appears briefly under the finger of the deaf-blind
person. The letter can be felt as long as the typist holds down the key. Only one
letter can be felt at a time. Fifty words per minute is probably the maximum
speed of the device. The chief advantage of the Tellatouch is that it allows
people who have no specialized training to communicate quickly with the
deaf-blind.
Safety Videos for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Local Disability Resource Links
State of Nevada Disability Resource Links
- Nevada
Emergency Medical Association
- Nevada Department of
Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Division, Bureau of
Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired
- Nevada Department of
Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Division, Bureau of
Vocational Rehabilitation
- Nevada
Department of Health and Human Services, Governor’s Council on Developmental
Disabilities
- Nevada
Department of Health and Human Services, Health Care Financing and Policy
Division (Medicaid)
- Nevada
Department of Health and Human Services, Mental Health and Developmental
Services, Desert Regional Center
- Nevada Department of Health and
Human Services, Office of Disability Services, Aging and Disability Services
- Nevada
Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disability Services, Aging
and Disability Services, Nevada Commission on Services for Persons with
Disabilities
- Nevada
Department of Human Resources, Office of Disability Services, Traumatic Brain
Injury Lead Agency
- Nevada Department of Health and
Human Services, State Health Division, Emergency Medical Systems
- Nevada
Department of Health and Human Services, Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
Federal Disability Resource Links