Steven J. Tingus, director of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, is pleased to share with you an important message about the newly issued final report and recommendations from the recently held Mini-Conference on Disability and Aging, Disability and Aging: Seeking Solutions to Improve Health, Productivity and Community Living.
Emergency Evacuation of People With Physical Disabilities From Buildings: 2004 Conference Proceedings report and recommendations issued
Disability is one of the leading issues in emergency preparedness. Today, more than 54 million Americans live with one or more disabilities, and the reality is that since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, a fire is no longer the only hazard that merits consideration when developing an evacuation plan. Other hazards must be considered at the onset of design, as well as individuals with and without disabilities and the structure itself. Prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, members of the disability community would articulate their emergency plan as "waiting for first responders to reach them in time." This evolved into establishing the Good Samaritan's role as a buddy. Now, the disability community is stating that it too has an active role to play in its own survival and that no one solution implemented in the past is acceptable.
NIDRR is pleased to make available the attached accessible version of the Emergency Evacuation of People With Physical Disabilities From Buildings: 2004 Conference Proceedings. This report summarizes the deliberations and recommendations of an Interagency Subcommittee on Technology workshop held Oct. 13-14, 2004. The two-day workshop provided a forum for discussion on research recommendations to improve available data, building and life safety codes, evacuation technologies and evacuation practices for people with physical disabilities.
A text copy of the final report and recommendations can be obtained at: www.ncddr.org/new/announcements/pwd-emergency-evac.txt.
A PDF copy of the final report and recommendations can be obtained at: http://www.icdr.us/documents/pwd-emergency-evac.pdf.
A Microsoft Word document file transfer of the final report and recommendations can be obtained at: http://www.icdr.us/documents/pwd-emergency-evac.doc.
Steven James Tingus, M.S., C.Phil.
Director
U.S. Department of Education
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
550 12th Street, SW, Room 6056
Washington, DC 20024-6122
NIDRR's Main Line: (202) 245-7640
Fax Line: (202) 245-7630
