REALTIME FILE

Pacific ADA Centre
ADA NATIONAL NETWORK LEARNING SESSION:
FEELING SAFE, BEING SAFE GOING FORWARD
FEBRUARY 14, 2019

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>> Lewis Kraus: Welcome to the National Network Learning Session. I'm Lewis Kraus, your moderator for this series. This series of webinars is brought to you by the PAC Center on behalf of the ADA National Network. The ADA National Network is made up of 10 regional centers federally funds to provide training, technical assistance and other information as needed on the Americans with Disabilities Act. You can reach your regional ADA Center by dialing 1‑800‑949‑4232.
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	This is the fifth year of this webinar series which shares issues and promising practices and emergency management inclusive of people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. This series covers emergency preparedness topics and disaster response, recovery and mitigation as well as accessibility and reasonable accommodation issues under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the ADA, and other relevant laws. Upcoming sessions are available at www.adapresentations.org/schedule.php.
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	Today's National Network Learning Session is titled Feeling Safe, Being Safe Going Forward. Feeling Safe, Being Safe was the first online emergency preparedness training series developed by people with intellectual disabilities for people with disabilities and older adults.
The success of Feeling Safe, Being Safe has encouraged adaptation of this model for training development and delivery on a variety of related disability inclusive emergency management initiatives through the disaster response, recovery and mitigation.
	This webinar will examine the strategies used to develop and pilot the community‑based online community training module, Trains the Trainer series and easy‑to‑use materials. The webinar facilitators will speak about the value of end‑user engagement in emergency management training tools. And Feeling Safe, Being Safe was originally developed by The Board Resource Center and the California Department of Developmental Services with funding from FEMA and DHS in 2019.
	Today's speakers are Marcie Roth, who is the CEO of The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies. Previously Marcie served as a Senior Advisor to FEMA Administrator Fugate and was the Director of the FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination after her appointment by President Obama in June 2009. While at FEMA, Marcie led the national transformation towards integrating access and functional needs of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of whole community emergency and disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation.
	Mark Starford is the Director of The Board Resource Center. Since 1994, BRC has been providing leadership training and developing accessible tools for organizations and government agencies that advocate for and provide services to underserved communities. BRC's focus is on developing adapted sustainable multi‑media materials to increase community inclusion, personal safety, and civic engagement for persons with disabilities and older persons. Recent priorities include disability inclusive emergency preparedness, abuse prevention, and end‑of‑life advance planning.
	I am now going to turn it over to you two, Marcie and Mark. Here you go.
>> Marcie Roth: Good afternoon, everybody. This is Marcie Roth. I want to thank you, Lewis, and I want to thank the ADA National Network for the ongoing opportunity to highlight the access and functional needs of people with disabilities before, during, and after disasters. These are ongoing, extremely important conversations. And Mark and I are especially pleased to have the opportunity to be part of this today.
	We will be talking about the Feeling Safe, Being Safe journey, going forward from the work that Mark began many years ago. And he will, in a few minutes, talk about the origins of that program and many of the elements of it, and then we'll talk a little bit more about where we go from here. I've shared a slide that gives you just a visual of some of the great materials that Feeling Safe, Being Safe produced and we'll be talking a little bit more about that. But first I want to just share what the learning objectives are for today. 
	The learning objectives include the value of end user input through the design and training, understanding ways to adapt Feeling Safe, Being Safe tools and training for unique regional needs and learning basic methodologies to replicate the Feeling Safe, Being Safe tools and training.
	I will now turn you over to Mark Starford who will take it from here.
>> Mark Starford: Thank you, Marcie.
	Hello. This is Mark Starford. Thank you, Lewis, for the opportunity to share Feeling Safe, Being Safe which was developed many years ago and is still currently used in states in an adapted format.
	So really simply, because I didn't think we really shared a little bit about what Feeling Safe, Being Safe is, reproducible materials that include guides, handouts, actionable worksheets, and train the trainer material. Currently there is a series of six videos that are online and also available through DVDs through the Department of Developmental Services in California. The six videos are very straight forward, short, and will go into more detail about how they were developed and why that's relevant today, the first one being an introduction to the series and to the value of preparation from the perspective of a person with disabilities who actually wrote the material and wrote the script. The second one, being prepared, what it means to be prepared, and how to become prepared from a perspective of feeling safe. The third is a core part of what makes feeling safe unique in this context. 
	There is a four‑page worksheet that is graphic‑driven where that individual, family, support person, can complete with core information that would be necessary for others to provide support for them. A magnet -- and these are all the titles of the video, by the way. And a large pictorial magnet that is on the refrigerator. Also community emergency kit and community outreach. Over the course of the years there was a booklet developed by an elementary aged child to support children to begin thinking about their own preparation as well.
	Key to the work is a Train the Trainer module which we'll talk more about and that has been sustained over the last now 12 years.
	This is a photo of the California Consumer Advisory Committee in 2007, the year that Feeling Safe, Being Safe was developed. And really simply, the question's been asked over the past 12 years "Why?" and they demanded it. They demanded that the department actually do something and that they wanted to be in charge. And as said, their words, not mine, it was "By them, for them, and about them." And most importantly, it was from the perspective of how do we remain safe, how do we design something that would be a successful for us and others? That was a crucial component.
	So motivation. To begin with whether it be feeling safe as well as any other tool, you need to think about what is the strategy or the plan to ensure that whomever is going to be using or viewing our material will get the information successfully. 
	The strategy. So what this group did is to think through a simple strategy that could be applied not only in this project but others that they worked on for many years. And that came down to three core words: think, plan, and do.
	And part of the motivation was to enhance preparedness for themselves but also for others as well. That was a really critical piece. And to design easy‑to‑use tools, that it had to incorporate think, plan, do in every step of the way so there would be continuity. And also that strategy of thinking and problem solving and coming out with outcomes as well. So it was an expandable strategy.
	Adaptable across populations and locations. I'll talk a little about what really prompted a lot of the thinking. It was an experience that happened in Katrina. There had been, following the reports, the information ‑‑ now it dates back a long time but at that point it was a significant sensitivity and about this tool that they create and test to ensure that it can work in multiple locations with adaptation and across various populations so it wasn't specifically or exclusively for them.
	And most important, that it was actionable. So everything requires an action which is doable and demonstrated whether through a video, a guide, or through an experienced and facilitated training.
	The principle in which we are all aware of, "Nothing about me, without me." That was and still is the driver. And that's core to all of this, was the basic principle that I and all people have the right to understandable information. And this sounds quite simple to all of us that we all agree; however, when this group, at that time, started to look at what was available, what was available in, say, the marketplace, out accessible to people, what was being produced and funded, there was very little that was useable without significant clarification. So that was one of the key primary principles was that everything has to be understood not only by them but their job was to go out and test it. 
	So these are principles that are used and should be used from our perspective every day. Regardless of what the project is. Clearly there would be the language involved and that we know and all people know that it increases participation in personal safety. And without clear and effective, straight forward what we call now plain language, and in many cases called easy English. It provides the simplicity of getting to the point and having only the necessary information.
	Taking personal responsibility for my own safety. That was then a key driver in developing the tools, realizing that there were supports but ultimately I need to participant in my own safety. I have a responsibility in order to do that, again, information has to be provided to me in a way I can understand it and most importantly act on it. And to reinforce one more time that not only was it for the individual, their family or their community but also the key was to be an asset to the community.
	So at this point I'm going to take a second and we're going to attempt right now to show you a video. This video Feeling Safe, Being Safe: It Changed My Whole Life, was produced by the Center for Disability Studies, University of Hawaii 2010. Hawaii became aware of what Feeling Safe, Being Safe was in California and applied for a grant from the Administration of Community Living and received funding to adapt Feeling Safe, Being Safe for Hawaii and to bring the work to the island and at the same time develop a Train the Trainer model which is at this point going on. At this point there are 27 trained self‑advocates who go around the islands and do training in their community.
	To note one aspect of adaptation is that Feeling Safe, Being Safe was designed to be an online tool used to be sustainable through online videos that are guided through community facilitation. One of the key add deputations in Hawaii due to population, also geographic distance, was to actually have trainers available in key cities and towns that would be more isolated. So Feeling Safe, Being Safe basically I look at it like an accordion. It's able to expand and contract and modify based upon the needs of the community.
	So without taking any more time ‑‑
>> Lewis Kraus: Ok. While Mark is doing that, I do want to let everybody know that when videos play in our system, through this system, it may or may not play as well on your particular computer because of your connection to the internet, your computer's ability to do this. So if the video that Mark is about to play doesn't exactly come out lovely during this session, you will have the slides and you have the link and you can go see it after the session as you'd like.
	[Paused for pre-captioned video]
>> Lewis Kraus: Ok, Mark, you may want to hit your talk button. We're not hearing you.
>> Mark Starford: Thank you. Thank you.
	So, the video reflects the changes that happen to people after taking the training in the sense of being an asset to the community. And these people are still out there active currently, seven and eight years later.
	So next we want to look at a little bit of methodology and of the steps. And, again, these are basic steps that could be applied to any new project whether it was feeling sick at that point, about going forward. And one of the key elements that the group asked was, How much do people know? What's their awareness now? So part of the initial phase before anything begins on any project would be to go out and do a scan. And in this case it was going and talking to over 2,000 people in California with disabilities about what they knew what their fears were, what their concerns were, and for them to feel safe and be prepared. What would it take?
	So here are some key questions that came back to the quarterly meetings. And we talked about it, shared it, and from there the architecture of sorts of the design of feeling safe, remembering that it doesn't come from myself or from [Indiscernible] or from home. It did generate 100% from this group who actually went out and listened to their peers. 	The key, as I said before and can't emphasize enough, is that it's easy English or everyday language. And that doesn't mean in particular, out there in the field, whether it is easy for myself. It is easy for the intended audience. And that requires us know who they are. 
	Who is the audience? What is the most effective way to communicate with them? How do we find out? Do we test? Do we have them as part of the design group? And in this case, Feeling Safe, Being Safe, unique for its time is that people in disabilities were integral to absolutely every element, absolutely every one.
	So when you look at it, if you go online and take a look, the icons, the colors, the framing, the messaging originates from the intended audience with guidance from experts about what would be necessary or what we call a need‑to‑know only, what needs to be known for a person to feel safe and prepared.
	Also key, and this is information a lot of us use in work, using short sentences, simple words and single syllabic words as possible. And the design of the tool, is actionable, something that a person not only can read, talk about, be in a group, but also take action, feel a sense of success and, therefore, closer to preparation.
	This is the core question. And this is integral to before anyone took information and put it on paper or started to develop scripts for videos was defining. As I had said a minute ago, defining the audience. Who are they? What do they know? What do they need to know? What do they want to know? Those are core questions. Finding out what questions will they have. And the way you know that is to actually go out into the community so engaging as deeply as one can, which this group did, into local communities.
	And to digress for a second, this group of 15 people representing Californians who were served by regional centers through the Department of Developmental Citizens in California were from targeted areas based upon population. So they went back into their communities, large and small, across the state from as far north as Carson City down to San Diego and east to the border.
	And core to answering some of these questions is: What do we want to see as an outcome? Or in my case when I'm working with people, I'll ask them: What's the dream? If Feeling Safe, Being Safe is successful, what will happen? What will you feel like? What will be different in your life? 
	And as we know and go along in developing any tool, any planning, anywhere is to test. And it is to test in safe efforts not traditional focus groups, with real representatives of the targeted audience, which goes back up to the first statement of defining. So in our case that were done at statewide conferences, self‑advocacy groups, people first groups, regional centers, day programs, anywhere there would be a group of people that represented the defined audience.
	Trainers as community assets, the outcomes. So number one, built into this, which was core and based on the philosophy of ensuring that public dollars and funds are used to where they can sustain much longer than a grant period, this project was successful, since we're talking about it 12 years later and it is still active in numerous states.
	So the question again was a sustainable approach. And it required commitment from, in this case, the Department of Developmental Services in California. It would be different in other states.
	The original tools were expanded for children. There was a children's book developed, as I had said earlier, for elementary‑aged children to begin writing down, to begin that process on their own opposed to being told what they needed to do. And this was designed for children with and without disabilities.
	Trainings are held in many states. I'll show you a map on the next page to show you which states have adapted the tool. And there's a permanent web page, as I had said, on California DDS's website. If you look on the bottom left‑hand corner, there's a little button. If you click it, it says Feeling Safe, Being Safe, and it takes you to the accessible page.
	So here's a map. From all understanding, this is relative current implementation and the adaptation sites across the country from Florida, Pennsylvania, and the West Coast including Hawaii that is extraordinary proactive eight years later.
	Outreach. One of the core elements built into Feeling Safe, Being Safe was to ensure that one of the ways to have presence was to present at conferences and in the case of Feeling Safe, Being Safe it was invited to representatives who are invited to not only disability conferences but living outside the disability world into the plain language world, both in our country as well as in Europe, Lisbon and also Amsterdam.
	Also, Marcie Roth, will talk about it later, presented Feeling Safe, Being Safe as a promising practice to the United Nations. And there was an invitation which we accepted to present and do an overview at the World Bank right after the disaster in Haiti. 
	So the takeaways from my part today, people with disabilities lead the way first, foremost, always. It isn't just meeting the way and being at the planning table. It's being integrated with their sleeves rolled up to be engaged in all elements. And in our case, in our general work, people with disabilities are significant. They are core to everything that we do. And in Feeling Safe, Being Safe, it was every aspect.
	User involvement in all phases. Again, it's designed ‑‑ it's the philosophy, the motivation. And those were critical pieces before, as I said earlier, before anything touches a piece of paper. It is having those in‑depth conversations about the meaning and what I see as an outcome or dream.
	Community inclusive training. That's another element why this works because it moves outside the disability world, per se, and addresses community associations, if people live in apartment building, community meetings. So people are integrated, inclusive within their living and neighborhood.
	Another element around inclusive trainings which is sometimes left out are small businesses, associations, libraries, recreation centers that need to be brought in. And in this case in the community model, which is piloted in Los Angeles, they were brought in, basically looking at the demographics in the small community, conducting small trainings, videos people start to meet each other and connect with each other in meaningful ways.
	Another takeaway is the peer‑to‑peer advocacy. In many ways Feeling Safe, Being Safe is here today. And especially in Hawaii, the continuity there, is due to peer‑to‑peer advocacy. It reflects back to the video. And that excitement still exists today with trainers being out there, going to local community fairs, information booths. They do an excellent job of ensuring that the community is sensitive to and aware of the need for all people to be prepared. And those with disabilities are taking the lead.
	And sustainable. It means, in this case ‑‑ I wrote in there sustainable system support. So in this case DDS in California that has been carrying the ball. They currently have materials available. The information is online. They've revised and revamped the website over the course of the years to update.
	Those are the basic core elements that were included in development of Feeling Safe, Being Safe, that actually can be used in going forward with any new tool to be developed to ensure that people with disabilities are not just represented, not just at the table, but are integral to all of the elements.
	And now Marcie will continue on with what we call Part Two.
>> Marcie Roth: Thank you very much, Mark. This is Marcie speaking. And I want to talk a little bit about my earliest introduction to Feeling Safe, Being Safe, to Mark, and where we're going from here.
	When I was at FEMA, I had the opportunity to meet Mark and to learn about Feeling Safe, Being Safe as a type of training that was showing some real promising examples of the ways that we can effectively engage people in developing and delivering preparedness training. And after meeting Mark, I had the opportunity to bring some of the Feeling Safe, Being Safe trainers to FEMA in fact, we had one of the trainers, a high school student, who went on to be one of the first FEMA Youth Advisory Council members. And his leadership as a Feeling Safe, Being Safe trainer really introduced him to a much larger advocacy role that he was able to take on nationally.
	The Feeling Safe, Being Safe trainers that I've had the opportunity to get to know and also the folks who have supported them, in fact, some of them are on this webinar today, have really demonstrated an amazing amount foresight, certainly focusing on preparedness training but far more than that recognizing the value of this sort of training strategy as a tool for developing and delivering meaningful preparedness training that truly does engage people.
	So as I speak over the next little while, I'm going to reflect on the national preparedness goal and why it is vital that we engage the whole community in meeting that national preparedness goal. I'm going to talk about some work that Mark and I have had the opportunity to do with the United Nations in developing some training materials. And we're going to talk a little bit about what we know and what we've learned and where we believe we need to go from here. I will share what was to me some surprising information about the preparedness investments that have been made over the last 15 years.
	Before we get to the rest of the information, I'm going to begin by hopefully being able to pull off successfully a second video showing. As Lewis shared earlier, we don't know if this was play on your system in the way it does on ours. If it doesn't, you can certainly watch it afterwards.
	This is an example of some training that's been designed by people with disabilities to be very accessible to the whole community. We had the opportunity to use these materials as a part of our making the right real disability inclusive disaster risk reduction project that we published last year through the support of the United Nations, Asia and Pacific office.
	So, Mark, I'm going to let you push the button again. 
	[Paused for ore-captioned video].
>> Marcie Roth: We pulled off two videos. Hopefully everybody had an opportunity to see the second one. Our colleagues from CBM put this together and they do tremendous work globally on disability I have inclusive, disaster risk reduction led by and very much steered by people with disabilities.
So, going forward I think we've learned a lot about Feeling Safe, Being Safe and the strategies that have been so effective. We believe that the development of tools such as Feeling Safe, Being Safe are a model for where we can go from here. We are particularly enthusiastic about the leadership of the folks in California followed by the leadership of folks in a number of other states. Again, most particularly in Hawaii and how much all of these years later these tools and their growing partnerships have continued.
	So this is going to require investing in some of these initiatives and engaging folks in community resilience activities. I'll talk a little more about resilience in a few minutes. But if we are, in fact, going to make progress in achieving resilience and preparedness, we can no longer just simply talk about the inclusion of people with disabilities. We have to move from words into actions. 
	Every community will need to be more actively involved not just in developing tools or developing training programs but in full engagement of people with disabilities. And those of us who are committed to resilience to be fully involved at the table, again, as Mark had said earlier, with a full commitment to the Nothing About Us Without Us commitment that so many of us share. Our colleagues in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties prepared some materials years ago and we have continued to draw from those.
	For example, when it comes to self‑determination, it is vital that we are turning to people with disabilities who are, as many of us know, most knowledgeable about our needs and that we need to have the opportunities to make decisions before, during, and after disasters and what sorts of services and supports we will need in order to be able to be best prepared and then through the evacuation and the process of recovery from disasters.
	The antidiscrimination principles, the laws are very clear, whether it's the Rehabilitation Act, whether it's the Americans with Disabilities Act, local, state human rights laws, there is an obligation to provide preparedness, response for recovery, mitigation, in non‑discriminatory ways. And this thus means that we cannot simply plan a one size fits all. We need to be sure that people have both the maximum amount of accessibility and that reasonable accommodations, modifications to policies and programs are available so that people can best navigate emergency programs and services.
	Effective communication. Again, it is part of the obligation that people are provided with equal access to information that is comparable in content and detail to that given to everybody else. So that means that not just during disasters but in making sure that we're providing preparedness information, planning information, that people have the opportunity to receive that information in ways that are accessible to them. 
	And community resilience has been quite a buzz word over the last number of years and a lot of money has been invested in community resilience. Sadly, much of the investments have not adequately included accessibility. If using the definition of resilience, that it is the ability to anticipate risk, limit impact, and bounce back through survival, adaptability, evolution and growth in the face of turbulent change, it is imperative that this be equally accessible for the whole community.
	Many of you have seen the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new data around disability. I think some folks are still surprised when they see these numbers. The CDC has made it very clear that they are operating from the data that indicates that there are 61 million adults with disabilities in the United States who have a disability, 26% of the U.S. population. One in four adults, needless to say many more children, older adults who don't necessarily identify as having disabilities and then many others, of course, who have access and functional needs but don't have the protections of the civil rights laws.
	FEMA last year reported that in the hurricanes of 2017 that there were approximately 47 million people affected. If those numbers are at all accurate and we use the CDC numbers, this would indicate that over 12 million people were impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. 12 million individuals should have been able to equally navigate through the response and recovery phases of those disasters.
	As far back as 2011 and the World Report on Disability, we have all been reminded that, in fact, getting it right for people with disabilities isn't only good for those of us with disabilities but, in fact, it has a tremendous impact on the rest of the community. 
	So as we talk about training, as we talk about developing the kinds of tools and resources that will improve outcomes and help us to meet the national preparedness goal, that we have to be sure that the whole community understands and is fully engaged in whole community preparedness initiatives. So whether it's people who are involved in programs like Feeling Safe, Being Safe or folks who are engaged in other preparedness initiatives, we need to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to be engaged in the preparedness initiatives, in those community readiness initiatives, and that everyone, as well, has an opportunity to serve in a leadership role.
	One of the things that I think has been so extraordinary and powerful about Feeling Safe, Being Safe has been providing a real opportunity for folks who are disproportionately impacted, often marginalized, often excluded to not only take on their own preparedness but to become an asset in the community.
	As we heard on the video, and I will reinforce, children and adults with disabilities and older adults are two to four times more likely to be injured or to die in a disaster. This is not because of their disabilities. It is, in fact, because of a lack of planning, failing to provide accessibility and accommodation.
	And we know that people with disabilities globally are recognized as having the knowledge and leadership opportunities that can contribute to resilient, inclusive and equitable societies. It is the utmost importance that in our investments that we are driving towards meeting the goals such as the goals of the United Nations framework for disastrous production which has been laid out by the unit nations over the peered of 2015 to 2030.
	And, of course, as we talk about people with disabilities and older adults, we need to help folks to understand that we're talking about not just people with disabilities, not just people with access and functional needs but, in fact, when we plan inclusive of people with disabilities and people with access and functional needs, we're addressing, we're accessing almost the entire community.
	Interestingly when we did a little bit of research about the investments that are currently being made in preparedness training and developing community inclusion training around emergencies and disasters, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, in February 2017, strongly encouraged FEMA to expand access to key training on incorporating access and functional needs into emergency planning. And FEMA was directed to take steps to make sure that they were incorporating access and functional needs and that that planning was reaching a wide audience.
	We also found from the Government Accountability Office some very startling data that in the period between 2002 and 2017. So over the 15 years ending a little more than a year ago, that FEMA, DHS, and HHS has invested $70 billion in preparedness and capacity building activities, $70 billion. I would love to think, given the obligations that the Rehabilitation Act brings in terms of equal access, I would love to think that those $70 billion in preparedness and capacity building have, in fact, been inclusive; have, in fact, given local communities and disability‑led groups the opportunity to build tools and training like Feeling Safe, Being Safe. Unfortunately I don't see much indication that that $70 billion has, in fact, been provided in ways that do, in fact, optimize the contributions of people with disabilities and our knowledge.
	When preparing this seminar, Mark and I talked a lot about the origins of Feeling Safe, Being Safe. And Mark shared with me that the original investment made by the Department of Homeland Security, the California Department of Developmental Services, and the folks who invested in Feeling Safe, Being Safe was about $50,000. So the development of these tools and resources was not expensive. And unfortunately there haven't been much investment further despite the tremendous successes of this program. So we would strongly encourage more investments from the federal government in the kinds of training and training tools that are so obviously successful as Feeling Safe, Being Safe has indicated.
	So in closing, if our communities truly are committed to community resilience, if in fact, the national preparedness goal is to be realized, we have got to have a full commitment to equal access and whole community inclusion. There are folks like Mark and the work that The Board Resource Center has been doing for many, many years that can provide the kinds of tools and develop the kinds of training that truly do engage people with disabilities every step of the way and the yield from the development of those tools really is an investment in moving away from treating people with disabilities as liabilities in emergency management and, instead, giving people the tools and the opportunities to become true assets as we move forward in both our preparedness and then in our overall community resilience.
	In summary, Nothing About Any of Us Without All of Us means being inclusive of people who are frequently still not included even when we talk about Nothing About Us Without Us. We need to make sure we're talking about the whole of the whole community.
	Here are a couple of resources that we wanted to share with you. There are more out there but wanted to make sure you had links to Feeling Safe, Being Safe, the Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction‑A Whole Community Action which is the second video that we shared with you, and the materials that we were fortunate to develop with the United Nations. We also have Inclusive Emergency Management course available through the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies. And, again, there are some other great resources out there but not enough.
	Here's where you can find Mark and I. We welcome the opportunity to answer any questions or talk about some next steps and real opportunities for investing in whole community resilience.
>> Lewis Kraus: All right. Thank you, Marcie and Mark. That was great.
	All right, everyone. Now is your chance, if you haven't already submitted a question, to enter a question for Marcie and/or Mark in the chat window. Enter that in and we will read those off and answer them right now. Starting now.
	So here's the first question for both of you. In looking forward, are there programs that are vetted, like evidence‑based to educate first responders in working with people with disabilities, more specifically people with intellectual or developmental disabilities? 
>> Marcie Roth: This is Marcie. That's a great question. I guess when we talk about vetting, are there programs that have been vetted by people with disabilities? I think there are some but I don't know that there is any sort of a clearing house of those sorts of training packages. I think there have been a number of training tools that have been developed. I know, for example, Dave Whalen at Niagara University does quite a bit of work on training first responders. I can think of some other city examples of where training has been developed. 
	But in terms of vetting, I don't know that there is any resource out there or any sort of standardized tools to determine whether or not those are effective. Given the huge investments in preparedness, it would make sense that there would be some recognized standards to measure against and some opportunities for people with disabilities to set those standards and then hold people accountable to them.
	Mark, you might have some additional thoughts on that. If you do, push your talk button. 
>> [Laughter] 
>> Mark Starford: I think that's an excellent question. I'm not aware. I've made a note to actually find out.
>> Lewis Kraus: All right. Great. And let me also add to that as well that when you're talking about educating first responders in working with people with disabilities, which is the general part of your question, that the ADA Centers across the country, the regional centers are funded to do exactly that. So that is a resource that you can go to. We've been around for 30 years, so you can contact any of those ADA Centers that are in your region ‑‑ like disability awareness and such for people who are first responders.
	Next question. Are there still funding opportunities available for starting Feeling Safe, Being Safe projects? And this comes from actually a question like, for example, in the territories of American Samoa.
>> Marcie Roth: Go ahead, Mark.
>> Mark Starford: I would contact the folks in Hawaii. They would have more knowledge.
The funding in California, it was DDS that initiated. And in Hawaii it was the Center for Disability Studies that were local to the states. So it might be through the UCEDD.
>> Marcie Roth: And there are typically about $10 billion, with a b, distributed to the states every year for preparedness initiatives. And the states can then prioritize how they're going to spend those funds. I believe it was that process that initially made those Department of Homeland Security funds available to the State of California who then directed them to the DDS folks who then brought those to The Board Resource Center. 
	That process hasn't changed in the last 12 years; however, it will require prioritizing these kinds of activities, this kind of training development, and these sorts of promising practices in order to sort of get above when states are making decisions about whether they spend their money on things that make fumes or whether they invest their funds in disability‑led preparedness initiatives.
>> Lewis Kraus: Ok. And I wanted ‑‑ someone pointed out in connection with this question and the last question that in Hawaii the trainers have shared the Feeling Safe, Being Safe tools with first responders. So that's another method for dealing with the question that you asked ‑‑ that was asked, the first question I read off.
>> Marcie Roth: And this is Marcie. I just ‑‑ I cannot say enough about the folks in Hawaii. The trainers and the folks that support them, they are such a wonderful model of exactly how I think folks initially hoped that this would unfold. And we sure would love to see this model move beyond simply people with disabilities training people with disabilities and that the folks in Hawaii delivering that sort of training to first responders is such a great example of that.
>> Lewis Kraus: Ok. Next question. Somebody had a question ‑‑ I think this was about your map. Let me bring the map up. Their question was: Please tell me where in Florida the map indicates an implementation and adaptation location.
>> Mark Starford: Thank you. I need to do some homework on that. This was developed a few years ago. I need to look at the reference for it. So I can get back to you, Lewis, to provide a response. I don't have that off‑hand. I apologize.
>> Lewis Kraus: Ok. All right. People are writing thank yous. Any other questions, please send your questions in as much as you would like. We can answer those questions as we're going along. 
	I have a question here. It's pretty unrelated but maybe we will ‑‑ without any other questions coming up at the moment, maybe we will address it. And that is, Can you comment on the Ready Act legislation and how if pass it might address access to information, training, participation for people with disabilities?
 >> Marcie Roth: Ahh. This is Marcie. So happy to talk about the Ready for Disasters Act. It absolutely would connect very significantly because the Ready for Disasters Act which was introduced last year by Senator Casey and a number of Senate co‑sponsors is going to be reintroduced in the next several weeks. 
	Among the language in the legislation that would apply, there is a specific opportunity that, if passed, could create 10 regional training and Technical Assistance Centers across the country focusing on exactly the kind of preparedness resources that this model has been so successful in delivering.
	So the Ready for Disasters Act will be reintroduced shortly. And training and technical assistance will be very much a piece of that. So great question. Absolutely related. A really important way forward.
>> Lewis Kraus: And also, if you have more questions about that, we do have a webinar ‑‑ it gives me an opportunity to point you the archive of these webinars at www.adapresentations.org/archives.php. We did a whole session on that Ready Act. So you can go back there and look ‑‑ listen to that if you want to know more about that session.
	So, Mark, I'm getting another question from somebody who also wants to know about where these implementation and adaptation locations are in their states so maybe you can just write me the addresses or the names of these places and I will post them on www.adapresentations.org in connection with this webinar so that people can come back and see that when they are ready. That work for you?
>> Mark Starford: Absolutely. Absolutely.
>> Lewis Kraus: All right. Ok. Let's see. Can you point me to resources for incorporating information on how to best serve children with disabilities who are in childcare? 
>> Mark Starford: I don't have anything off‑hand but I can do some homework and include that as well.
>> Marcie Roth: This is Marcie. There's been some great work that was done by the folks at the Eunice Shriver Center in Massachusetts. They did some great work on children with disabilities and preparedness at home and in the community.
	I know, also, when I was at FEMA, we were working with Save the Children around some specific tools and resources for children with disabilities in childcare. I believe that program unfortunately wasn't continued. And I don't know if there is anyone working on that specifically. Children in disaster initiatives do continue but those children in disasters initiatives are often not zeroing in on the specific needs of children with disabilities and where they are not necessarily zeroing in any further on the needs of children in childcare programs.
	I would look at the materials on the Shriver Center website and the materials from Save the Children. Those would be two really good places to start to look to see what is currently available.
>> Lewis Kraus: All right. I would also, just in general as we're getting questions about do you have this resource and that resource, I would also guide you to our own Pacific ADA Center link for emergency preparedness publications and resources there. There are several, many dozens, of links there. They may or may not be related to what you're asking about here but there are some things that you might be able to find if you're needing something.
	Ok. Next question. I'm working on creating a disabilities advisory board. Are there any references or resources that can get me started? 
>> Marcie Roth: Disability advisory board specific to community emergency preparedness initiatives? I'm going to make a guess that that's what the question was.
>> Lewis Kraus: Ahh, actually saying no.
>> Marcie Roth: Oh, ok.
>> Lewis Kraus: So what is your advisory board about? Maybe you can write that. Because this is really about disasters. 
	So while you're responding to that, we'll take our next question. Are there specific emergency preparedness plans for small business fronts with ‑‑ corporation of customers with disabilities that could be provided as possible templates? 
>> Marcie Roth: Sorry, I had toggled off my talk.
	So, there are a number of small business continuity of operations plans and emergency plans but I've been doing some training with small businesses on this topic and I have not yet seen a whole lot out there. Lewis, you all may have some materials. 	I know that the ADA Mid‑Atlantic did some great ‑‑ developed some great tools that I think include some emergency preparedness mentions but I don't know of anything that's comprehensive.
>> Lewis Kraus: Yeah. I think that in general you can deal with the ADA National Network has resources on you how to deal with customers with disabilities. I don't know that they have specific responses about how to deal with customers in an emergency. But you can somewhat put the two together, knowing what you know about preparing for disabilities or responding as well as using the tenets of interacting with people with disabilities as customers and probably be able to cobble something together until somebody's got a good model.
	Plus, also as Marcie has been saying and the topic of this is about, is include people with disabilities in helping put that together. So that would be my best recommendation about that.
>> Marcie Roth: And this is Marcie. Again, we've been doing some training. We don't have any sort of published training materials but I'd be happy to talk with you more about some of the training that we've been doing.
>> Lewis Kraus: Ok. So to return to our person who asked the question about their disability advisory boards. This is a subcommittee of a larger board, local government, so they handle emergency planning but a whole lot more. That's a huge undertaking. They have Advisory Board, planning, recruiting, requirements etc., are fairly much the same. So he feels in general. “And we've been having lots of weather emergencies so that's a good start for us.”
	Does that help?
>> Marcie Roth: This is Marcie. Yes. In terms of an advisory committee, what I would typically recommend and what we used to teach when the FEMA EL197 course was available, we would encourage bringing a group of people together interested in the issues and generating a list of who the stakeholders were and then bringing those stakeholders together and starting the conversation there, looking at what some of the past issues had been and making sure that you're engaging your local disability community experts, your Independent Living Centers, and disability‑led organizations, building out your local Advisory Committee from there once you've identified who your stakeholders are, you've made sure that you've got your disability‑led organizations at the table, and you've identified what some of your issues are. And as well, you might also want to make sure that you've identified what your particular hazards are this individual mentioned that they've had some weather‑related issues. So identifying what your particular hazards are and then beginning to work around that.
>> Lewis Kraus: Ok. And we're also getting some feedback from some of the other listeners who are pointing out also about people should be able to get a list of agencies that serve people with disabilities to form an advisory group ‑‑ they're suggesting The United Way but I think you can get it from several organizations. You may be able to get it from calling our 800 number and talking to one of our regional centers for your local area. It would get you Independent Living Centers and California Regional Centers. There could be other nonprofits that serve people with disabilities that you may want to tap to supply people to be on those advisory boards.
>> Marcie Roth: And I would just want to sort of underscore how important it is that we plan with people and not for people. So super-duper important, planning with not planning for.
>> Lewis Kraus: Ok. And the person who asked about the small business question also asked ‑‑ is clarifying. Specifically she wanted to know about processes for assisting customers exiting the building in an emergency.
>> Marcie Roth: Ahh.
>> Lewis Kraus: Yeah. Go ahead, Marcie.
>> Marcie Roth: So fabulous question. There are great opportunities to do this in an exercise. This would be a great opportunity to go to your local Independent Living Center, perhaps work together on an exercise, bring in your first responders, identify some other stakeholders, conduct an exercise. 
	The purpose of exercises is not to prove how good you are at what you do. The purpose of exercises, you know, drills, is to identify where your problems are. And it might be that the first time that small business conducts an exercise or a drill they discover that there is no way to effectively evacuate people with disabilities. And that would be the important information that you would want to start with.
	There's good information about exercises. Again, at The Partnership we've had lots of experience with exercises and would be more than happy to talk with folks about some of the tools and strategies you might use to see where, in fact, you're at on all of this.
>> Lewis Kraus: Great. And I would just also add, again, go back to www.adapresentations.org/archives.php. There's been a presentation about high-rise evacuations there's going to be one this summer about evacuation chairs. There's been several ‑‑ there's been one from ‑‑ what is it, Marcie?
>> Marcie Roth: National Fire Protection Association. NFPA.
>> Lewis Kraus: Thank you. I blanked there for a second. So there's many resources that are there that you may want to listen to and get some other basic info.
	All right. At this point we realize that many of you may still have questions for our speakers and apologize if you did not get a chance to ask your question. I do want to remind you ‑‑ let me put them back up ‑‑ the contact information for the speakers. You can contact them directly if would like to ask a question. You can also call your Regional ADA Center at 1‑800‑949‑4232, especially for any of the questions that relate to Americans with Disabilities Act, rights or responsibilities.
	So you will receive an e‑mail with a link to an online session evaluation after this is done. Please complete that evaluation for today's program as we value your input and want to demonstrate the worthiness of the effort to our funders.
	We want to thank our speakers, Mark and Marcie, today for sharing their time and knowledge with us. Just a reminder to everybody, the session was recorded and it will be available for viewing next week at the www.adapresentations.org website in the archive section.
	Our next webinar, March 14, we are going to have some researchers from Texas A&M University who will discuss research in the needs of people with disabilities post disaster and the recovery process. This is an area we rarely talk about and so it should be a very interesting topic. We hope that you can join us. Watch your e‑mail two to three weeks ahead of time for the announcement of the opening of registration for that webinar.
	And with that, we're going to close here. Thank you all again for attending and spending your time with us. And to Marcie and Mark, thank you very much.
	Have a good day, everyone.
>> Marcie Roth: Thank you very much. Appreciate the opportunity.
>> Mark Starford: Thank you, everybody.