By Jenel Hunt
Warwick and Stanthorpe people with disabilities have a better idea of what to do in an emergency after undergoing training in Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness.
RAWR Support Services in Warwick and Granite Belt Support Services in Stanthorpe have championed the training with their clients, and participants in each town have recently completed a two-part training program.
Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN) delivered the workshops, ’Get Ready, Plan Ahead’. Michelle Moss, the CEO of QDN, said research showed that people with disability were more vulnerable to hazard events and were up to four times more likely to die during disasters than others people.
“Disaster planning for people with disability matters,” she said.
“It’s critical that people with disability have their own plans for disasters, and communicate this plan with people who support them. People with disability have a range of additional things they need to plan for in a disaster, and the tool QDN has co-designed with researchers from the University of Sydney helps people with disability think about the key areas and make a plan for it.”
Ms Moss said the workshops were planned in such a way that they could be led by people with disability.
“The workshops are fun, interactive and have been co-designed by people with disability themselves. Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness helps people think through what they need.
“We know that when people with disability get to learn from other people with disability, it really makes a difference. The workshop facilitators are able to bring their own lived experience of disability and disasters they have lived through to share tips, information and what they have done to make their own plan.“
QDN peer leaders made information relevant, accessible to participants with lots of different disability and could share things that people could do – right here, right now – to be more prepared.
“These workshops are for people with diverse range of disability including people with physical, intellectual, sensory, cognitive and psychosocial disability,” she said.
Ms Moss said one simple thing people learned was to have a ‘go bag’ for if they needed to evacuate and they also found out how to tailor what was in the bag to their individual needs. One person might need medication while someone else needed assistive technology to help them communicate.
“It all makes a difference and it’s important that everyone can work together – people with disability, families and carers, support workers, emergency services and councils. People need to be prepared and act together in a time of disaster,” Ms Moss said.
She said the project, Building Inclusive Disaster Resilient Communities, was delivered by QDN in partnership with the Centre for Disability Research and Policy at the University of Sydney, Community Services Industry Alliance (CSIA), and communities in five Local Government Areas across Queensland. The project was funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.
“For the first time, Australia’s Disability Strategy includes targeted action on disability inclusive emergency management and disaster recovery planning,” she said.
“This is significant because it requires all levels of government, emergency services, community organisations and businesses to include people with disability in their emergency management and disaster response and recovery planning.”
The forum in Warwick was run by the project partners in partnership with Southern Downs Regional Council. Another community forum will be held later this year. Project partner Community Services Industry Alliance (CSIA) will hold Business Continuity Planning workshops for community and disability service providers to help them have a plan in place for their business during times of disaster.
