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Thiruvananthapuram, May 10, 2016
Equipping the disabled to meet emergency situations
T. Nandakumar T. Nandakumar
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Programme will focus on training people with different types of disabilities
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority is taking up a novel
initiative to equip persons with disabilities to cope with natural
disasters and other crises.
SDMA has approved a project to strengthen emergency response
capabilities with emphasis on the differently abled and include them
in the disaster preparedness and response mechanism. The programme
will focus on training people with different types of disabilities
like physical, intellectual, visual, speech and hearing in emergency
response.
All over the world, during times of natural disasters and other
crises, persons with disabilities have often remained ‘invisible’ to
relief operations and excluded from assessments, relief, and
evacuation measures, says the concept note. The response to their
basic needs is often not adapted and their specific needs ignored.
They are also at a higher risk of abuse and violence and disasters
take a toll on their physical and psychological health.
Those with physical impairments can be at risk during evacuation if
assistance is not available and individuals with cognitive impairments
may struggle with understanding instructions that must be followed in
the event of a disaster while the visually or hearing disabled may
have difficulty communicating during the emergency, it notes.
State-level consultation
A State-level consultation is being organised here on Wednesday to
work out the training strategy and identify resource persons. NGOs,
experts and representatives of various government departments and
agencies will discuss the preparation of a training module for people
with different kinds of disabilities.
In the second phase, district disaster management authorities will
organise trainings and refresher programmes at the district level. The
concept note also proposes mock drills, communication materials, and
action-oriented behavioural changes to equip the disabled.
According to a census carried out by the Social Justice Department in
2015, there are 7,93,937 disabled persons in Kerala, constituting 2.3
per cent of the total population. The report shows that 9.87 lakh
households in the State have disabled people.
Source:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/equipping-the-disabled-to-meet-emergency-situations/article8578217.ece
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