December 2010

#3 December 2010

Brought to you by: The Florida Office on Disability & Health http://fodh.phhp.ufl.edu

“Accessibility for All”

Florida Office on Disability & Health

The Florida Office on Disability and Health (FODH) was created in 2007 through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The mission of FODH is to maximize the health, well-being, participation, & quality of life, throughout the lifespan of all Floridians & their families living with disability.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness for Individuals with Disabilities

Kansas Disability and Health Program: Emergency Preparedness training

  • The Florida Office on Disability and Health is part of a network of 16 Disability and Health States, of which the state of Kansas excels in Emergency Preparedness. Currently they are promoting their free 2 hour training titled: Ready, Willing, & Able Internet Course. This course covers disability etiquette, terminology, communication and assistance techniques to use during disasters to assist persons with sensory, physical, and cognitive disabilities. This training and other useful preparedness information can be found on http://www.nobodyleftbehind2.org/resources/index.shtml

Enhancing Public Health Emergency Preparedness for Special Needs Populations: A Toolkit for State and Local Planning and Response

  • This interactive toolkit contains strategies and resources to help public health departments prepare for and respond to special needs populations, including racial/ethnic minorities and those with limited English proficiency, in a public health emergency. A mapping tool was also developed that allows for preparedness-related population characteristics to be mapped at the state, and county level. To visit this toolkit please go to http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR681/

Partner Highlight:The Governor’s Commission

The Governor’s Commission on Disabilities was appointed by Governor Crist in 2007, and works to break down the barriers faced by the more 6 million Floridians with disabilities.  The Commission also works to promote more open communication between persons with disabilities, their families, and the state and local governments. The Commission assesses transportation, health care access, education, employment, civil rights, and independent living among Floridians with disabilities, makes recommendations to the Governor on how to improve conditions, and is tasked with making the recommendations a reality using partnerships and collaborations.  Recently, the Florida Department of Health selected the Commission to assess the needs of Floridians with sensory disabilities in responding to emergencies. The Commission has assembled an Advisory Board to help carry out the project, which will be completed in Spring, 2011. To learn more about the Commission, visit their website at http://fldisabilityinfo.com/.

Please visit our website at http://fodh.phhp.ufl.edu for Florida data, links to national resources about disability and health, and more!

For questions on this Bulletin contact ctamayo@phhp.ufl.edu