ADA National Network Learning Session: FEMA Perspective on Emergency Management, COVID-19 and People with Disabilities

ADA National Network Learning Session: FEMA Perspective on Emergency Management, COVID-19 and People with Disabilities

13th August, 2020

This session will provide an overview of FEMA's roles and responsibilities in the midst of COVID-19, how FEMA continued to serve people with disabilities during that response, and how we continued to plan and prepare for the 2020 natural disaster season in the midst of the pandemic.

Learning objectives:

  • Learn more about FEMA's role in the COVID-19 response.
  • Understand the roles and responsibilities of federal, state and local governments and NGOs in the COVID-19 response.
  • Discuss essential emergency management functions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Presenters:

Charlotte Lewis is the current Acting Program and Policy Branch Chief for the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination at FEMA. Charlotte brings in field experience from her years as a Disability Integration Advisor, including deployments to Texas for Harvey, USVI and Puerto Rico for Irma and Maria, with the most recent deployment being in support of Region IX and the State of California in their COVID-19 response.

Roxann Crawford serves as the Disability Integration Specialist for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region IX. Before working in the region, Roxann was the Disability Integration Advisor on the National Incident Management Assistance Team - West.

Candice Alder serves as a Disability Integration Advisor and Policy Analyst, specializing in program access within FEMA's Public Assistance program.

Ed Ahern is a Policy Analyst with FEMA. He has broad government, non-profit and public sector experience working with many aspects of disability including advising on physical access, awareness training and education and inclusive program design.

Jessica Gottesman serves as the Data Analytics Program Analyst for the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC). In her role, Jessica collaborates across FEMA to help leaders make data driven decisions regarding services to people with disabilities. She collaborated with FEMA's Recovery Reporting and Analytics Division to produce a first-ever, publicly available Disability Demographics and Program Utilization Report, which analyzes the utilization of FEMA programs among people with disabilities who registered for FEMA assistance.

Handouts: