engaging people with disabilities in volunteerism: emergency response this program is funded by the...
TRANSCRIPT
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.