Engaging People with Disabilities in Volunteerism:

Emergency Response

This program is funded by the WV Department of Homeland Security, WV Citizen Corps, and The Arc of the Mid Ohio Valley

WV Department of Homeland

Security

Today’s Purpose

1. Understanding the 4 phases of emergency management and where you fit in

2. Identifying what role you as an individuals or your organization can play in the recruiting and supporting volunteers in the event of a disaster.

3. Identifying what needs you may have for utilizing volunteers in the event of a disaster.

When Are Volunteers Needed?

PLANNING OR PREPAREDNESS PHASEProactive efforts undertaken by

individuals, groups, and communities to place themselves in a better state of readiness to withstand or avoid the immediate impact of any type of disaster

Recruit Volunteers to Participate in Drills

When Are Volunteers Needed?

RESPONSE PHASEThis occurs from the moment an incident

takes place through the time that basic emergency human and community needs have been met through rescue operations, mass shelter, mass feeding, and overall stabilization of the disaster-affected community

Belleville, WV Tornado – Who Would Have Ever Expected It?

People With Disabilities in Volunteer Roles

When Are Volunteers Needed?

RECOVERY PHASE Recovery follows the response period and may

extend for several years after a disaster. Disaster recovery relates to the collaborative

efforts of individuals , communities, and all levels of government, the private sector, the non-profit sector, and others to re-establish a sense of normalcy, development and growth

Disaster Volunteer Coordination

Allows first responders such as EMS, Fire, and Police to focus on their duties without added responsibility of managing volunteers

Disaster Volunteer Coordination

Communities can respond to and heal from disasters more effectively when volunteer efforts are well managed

Affiliated Volunteers

People who are already trained, certified, background-checked, linked to an organization, etc.

In the aftermath of a disaster, hundreds or thousands of volunteers are motivated to respond.

People who make a pre-disaster decision to become disaster volunteers and take training to prepare themselves will NOT become spontaneous, unaffiliated volunteers.

To provide meaningful assistance in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, agencies must have pre-disaster volunteer recruitment, orientation, and training.

Red Cross, Medical Reserve Corps, CERT Teams, Volunteer Fire Departments, Salvation Army, Boy Scout Leaders, etc.

Unaffiliated Volunteers

Men who grab their chain-saws, jump in their trucks and go to the disaster site; Women who gather clothing and

diapers; People who show up to cook, clean, take care of children, etc.

Not everyone has time, due to work or family commitments, to get trained and affiliated with a relief organization before a disaster occurs.

Katrina, 9/11, and other disasters have shown us that although untrained, hundreds or thousands of people wanting to volunteer converge on disaster sites.

To provide assistance as an unaffiliated volunteer (spontaneous), people should be able to watch the media for information on how to participate as a volunteer in an organized manner.

Why Are Trained Volunteers Needed?

• Mobilize• Manage• Register• Refer

Why Do People With Disabilities Volunteer?

For the same reasons as anyone else: they want to contribute their time and

energy to improving the quality of life.They want challenging, rewarding,

educational service projects that address needs of a community

Provide them with outlets for their enthusiasm and talents.

Let me Introduce You To….

Kelly Ann Collins

She lives in Parkersburg with her husband of 22 years and has two young adult daughters.

Her laugh is contagious and she is NEVER without a smile.

She is the first out the door for 5:00 am shopping on Black

Friday!

Her favorite sandwich is sausage & onion with mayo.

She is known Parkersburg for the girl who landed in a tree while

skydiving and having to be rescued by the fire department.

She volunteers for The Arc and has been Bible School Director for 15

years.

She is a WV Interstate Fairboard member, was 4-H camp director

last year, and is charge of the food booth at he Belleville

Homecoming.

She was PTA president & boxtop chairman for years.

She hates it when people “make over” her and dislikes

attention.

She has won a Presidential Service Award for

volunteerism and she & her husband were WV

Volunteers of the year.

She has a blue van, brown hair, paralysis, blindness in

one eye, and Lupus.

As you can see Kelly has likes and dislikes.

Her disability is only one of many characteristics of

what makes her.

More important than her disability label are her

interests, strengths, and unique personality.

Kelly is definitely not her diagnosis. Her potential cannot be defined by her

disability.

She is simply a woman, whose method of mobility is a wheelchair, who has

to use modifications when using a computer, and who sometimes needs

assistance in some areas.

It is imperative to look beyond the label! If that’s only what people saw in this situation, they would have missed out on years and thousands of hours!

Not seeing a person in terms of their skills,

hobbies, interests, and talents can result in some very loyal, productive and valued volunteers to be

overlooked!

What About You/Your Organization?

In the event of disaster, the coordinated, suitable deployment of volunteers will be a crucial function.

You or your organization may NEED volunteers to assist those you serve or HAVE volunteers that other agencies can utilize

A common volunteer mobilization center that will take responsibility for this influx and deployments is essential to eliminating a “disaster within a disaster”.

Help with mass care operations…● Food● Shelter● Distribution of food/supplies

Cleaning – inside and outsideClerical supportData Entry/computer/tech support

Where Might People With Disabilities Fit In?

Inventory/packing/distributing donated items

Supporting other special needs populations

Distribution of ID BadgesFood Preparation CrewsGreeters/ReceptionistsAnimal care/rescue/sheltering

Where Might People With Disabilities Fit In?

Where Might People With Disabilities Fit In?

Re-stocking medical suppliesChild careSpecialized equipment operatorsShoppers/runnersTelephone operators

How Can You Help?

Encourage your organization or you individually to discuss ways in which you could assist with disaster relief.

Consider your group members, their interests and skills and the time they might have available after a disaster.

Seek out training to prepare you for the service you’d like to provide.

Inclusive Service Environments

An inclusive service environment embraces all people, regardless of disability, and reaches out to individuals

with disabilities at all levels – from first time participants to board members.

In an inclusive service environment, people with disabilities are welcomed and valued for their

contributions as individuals. The presence of a disability is not seen as a detriment, but valued as part

of the range of human diversity.

Volunteers

● People with disabilities who volunteer, online or onsite, are first and foremost volunteers, not disabled volunteers.

● Bringing people with disabilities into a volunteer program should be conducted in the same spirit as it is for those without disabilities.

● Just as with all volunteers, consider people with disabilities first and foremost as individuals with specific talents and resources to offer your agency.

● A volunteer's disability should only be considered in the context of deciding what accommodations will work best for that volunteer.

Volunteers If your organization is mindful of its actions,

attitudes and behaviors regarding working with people with disabilities, you can create an environment at your agency where all volunteers feel welcomed.

Think about a person you know with a disability you know personally, such as a relative. You probably see this person as an individual, a friend, a father, a mother, a cousin -- a person first. Keep this "person first" attitude with your volunteers, regardless of their disability.

Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.  You don't have to have a college degree to serve.  You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve.  You only need a

heart full of grace.  A soul generated by love.  ~Martin Luther King, Jr.