Impact Feature Issue on Meeting Transportation Needs of Youth and Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Mobility in Emergencies for Persons with Disabilities

As we go to press, evacuation and relief efforts are underway in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. While this Impact issue primarily focuses on meeting everyday transportation needs of persons with developmental and other disabilities, this recent disaster prompts us to also provide readers with the following resources that address emergency preparedness in relation to individuals with mobility and other disability-related needs:

  • National Organization on Disability. This Web site contains extensive resources on N.O.D.’s national Emergency Preparedness Initiative to ensure that people with disabilities are included in emergency preparedness planning, response, and recovery efforts across the country. Also online is information from the 2004 conference titled Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities, and results of a national survey on emergency preparedness and persons with disabilities.
  • Nobody Left Behind: Disaster Preparedness for Persons with Mobility Impairments.  This Web site of the Research and Training Center on Independent Living at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, is designed for consumers, as well as for professionals in the field of emergency preparedness and response. It includes extensive information from organizations and the federal government.