ADA National Network Learning Session: How Personal Assistant Services Promote the Self-Determination of People with Disabilities Recovering from Disaster"

 

ADA National Network: Emergency Management and Preparedness-Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities The following is provided by the Pacific ADA Center Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

 

Announcing a New Webinar - "ADA National Network Learning Session: How Personal Assistant Services Promote the Self-Determination of People with Disabilities Recovering from Disaster" July 8th, 2021 Registration for this webinar is now open Webinars begin at ET: 2.30pm, CT: 1.30pm, MT:12.30pm, PT:11.30am, Hawaii: 9.30am during mainland Standard Time; 8.30am during mainland Daylight Savings Time. Registration: Free on-line at http://adapresentations.org/registrationEM.php Registration closes at midnight, July 7, 2021. All webinars offer captioning. Requests for sign language interpreters must be made the Monday before the webinar to support@adapacific.org. For all other accessibility questions about Zoom webinar conferencing software, go to https://zoom.us/accessibility. The Personal Assistance Services Addendum to the Mass Care/Emergency Assistance Pandemic Planning Considerations released in January 2021 increases collaboration, planning, and knowledge surrounding the importance of establishing continuity of services for people with disabilities, prior to a disaster. Without proper planning for, or providing, Personal Assistance Services at the onset of a disaster sheltering mission, the health and safety of disaster survivors may be at risk. Learning objectives: Understanding important information regarding ensuring equitable survivor services through continuity of Personal Assistance Services (PAS). Understanding legal obligations, and potential reimbursement for services rendered. Presenters: Linda Mastandrea serves as the Director of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC). The office leads FEMA's commitment to whole-community emergency management by integrating individuals with disabilities into all aspects of disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. Ms. Mastandrea has built a reputation as a subject matter expert on inclusive emergency management practices. She has provided training, consultation and technical assistance to emergency managers around the nation and served as a Disability Integration Adviser Reservist with FEMA. Zachary Usher currently serves as the branch chief for mass care, voluntary agency coordination, and community services at FEMA. In this role, he works with voluntary organization, faith based, and other partner organizations to help survivors and communities recover from disasters. Zach has worked in emergency management for 19 years, including roles in both mitigation and recovery. Star Black serves as the FEMA Public Assistance Training Deputy Section Chief out of FEMA Headquarters which is responsible for all Public Assistance course content/delivery, webinars, and the Grants Portal/Grants Manager hotline. Since 2002, she has served in the Public Assistance Program working with State, Local Tribes, and Territories assisting Applicants through the FEMA grant process. She not only has had over 210 deployments during her career, but has performed in various Public Assistance roles. Amy Nicholas is a Senior Attorney Advisor at the National Council on Disability (NCD) and has been with NCD for over six years. Amy has subject matter expertise in subminimum wage/AbilityOne, FEMA/emergency management and transportation. Amy served as NCD designee on FEMA's National Advisory Council (NAC) IPAWS Subcommittee and has represented NCD on multiple other emergency management committees during her tenure. Prior to joining NCD, Amy worked at the Department of Transportation as an Equal Opportunity Specialist in its Federal Transit Administration Office of Civil Rights. Mary Casey-Lockyer is currently the Senior Associate for Disaster Health Services at the national headquarters of the American Red Cross. For close to ten years, she has fulfilled this role for program development and continuous quality improvement for Disaster Health Services at national headquarters and manages a cadre of 2600 + Disaster Health Services volunteers. As a Disaster Health Services manager/chief with the Red Cross, she has been on twenty national deployments, most recently to the Disaster Relief Operation in Saipan and supporting other Red Cross Disaster Relief Operations from national headquarters' Disaster Operations Coordination Center (DOCC). Mary is currently assigned as Senior Medical Advisor to Red Cross national disaster operations. Everett Sedgwick is FEMA Individual Assistance's first Disability Advisor working in the Mass Care/Voluntary Agency/Community Services Branch. He was with the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination for seven years before joining IA in 2019. Before joining the ODIC staff in 2011, he was with the FEMA IA Mass Care and Emergency Services Section where he was the Project Manager for FEMAs 2010 "Guidance on Planning for Integration of Functional Needs Support Services in General Population Shelters" and the "Guidance on Planning for Personal Assistance Services In General Population Shelters". To view upcoming sessions, go to http://adapresentations.org/scheduleEM.php To see previous sessions, go to http://www.adapresentations.org/archiveEM.php The information presented in this webinar is intended solely as informal guidance, and is neither a determination of legal rights or responsibilities by NIDILRR.