Vision in the making
LesleyAnne Ezelle
Region 10 Disability Integration Specialist
Outline
 Brief background on Region 10
 Office of Disability Integration and Coordination and Regional
Disability Integration Specialists
 Definitions and percentages
 My Background and Beliefs
 Working towards Whole Community
FEMA Region 10
FEMA Mission
“FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first
responders to ensure that as a nation we work
together to build, sustain, and improve our
capability to prepare for, protect against, respond
to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”
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FEMA Regional
Boundaries
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FEMA Region 10
 Service Area:
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Alaska
Idaho
Oregon
Washington
 Office Locations:
 Bothell/Lynnwood / Woodinville
 Alaska Area Office
 Customers:
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
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States
Local Governments
Tribal Nations (>300 entities)
Individuals
FEMA Region 10
Office of the Regional
Administrator
Regional Advisory Council
(RAC)
Kenneth D. Murphy
Regional Administrator
Dennis A. Hunsinger
Deputy Regional Administrator
External Affairs
PK White, Acting
Federal Coordinating
Officers (FCOs)
Defense Coordinating
Element (DCE)
Alaska Area Office
National Preparedness
Division
Recovery
Division
Response
Division
Mitigation
Division
Mission Support
Division
Grant Programs
Division
Patrick Massey
Federal Preparedness
Coordinator &
NP Division Director
Charles Axton
Division Director
Lon Biasco
Division Director
Mark Carey
Division Director
Bryant Harrison
Division Director
Richard Donovan
Division Director
Jean Chaney
John Sneed
Deputy Division Director
Deputy Division Director
Mark Eberlein
Reg. Environmental
Officer
Patrick Marcham
Deputy Division Director
Regional
Integration
Branch
Joseph Hesbrook
Public
Assistance
Branch
Denise Yandle
Planning &
Assessments
Branch
Vince Cacanindin
Individual
Assistance
Branch
Christy Grant
Tech Hazards
Branch
Bill Webb
Operations
Branch
Jackie Gladish
Planning Branch
Vince Makovich
Logistics Branch
Gretchen
Martinsen
Emergency
Comm Branch
Terry Knight
Hazard Mit
Branch
Chris JonientzTrisler
Admin Services
Branch
Kelli Accetturo
Floodplain Mgt
& Insur Branch
Mark Riebau
Information
Tech Branch
Thomas Hall
Risk Analysis
Branch
Ryan Ike
The FEMA Workforce
▪ The
FEMA Administrator is
appointed by the President,
confirmed by Congress,
reporting to DHS Secretary
 4,250 authorized full-time
permanent employees
▪ Approximately 12,000 oncall disaster assistance
employees
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Emergency Management Philosophy
The Public is
a Resource
(not a liability)
Take Care
of Survivors
Everyone in
FEMA
Emergency is an
Management Emergency
Philosophy Manager
Determine
Response by
Outcomes
Define what
Recovery means
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Whole Community
 “…experience has taught
us that we must do a
better job of providing
services for the entire
community, regardless of
their background,
demographics, or
challenges. This means
planning for the actual
makeup of a community,
making sure we meet the
needs of every disaster
survivor regardless of age,
economics, or accessibility
requirements.”
Whole community
 “…Addressing these related concerns cannot be achieved by
simply improving on what we have always done – we must
fundamentally change how we go about disaster
preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation, involving
the communities we serve directly in these efforts. We must
look beyond the traditional, “government-centric” approach to
emergency management and embrace a philosophy and
operational posture that leverages, and serves, the Whole
Community.”
Whole Community
 Expanding partnerships.
 Partnership with
community groups.
 Looking beyond the
traditional approach.
 Integrating the needs of all
people in the response,
recovery, planning and
mitigation.
Whole Community: Functional and
Access needs
 “This
means planning for the actual makeup of a
community, making sure we meet the needs of every
disaster survivor regardless of age, economics, or
accessibility requirements.”
Involves everyone in the process, not just some, but everyone…..
Regional Disability Integration
Specialist
 The role of the ODIC is to provide guidance, tools, methods,
and strategies to integrate and coordinate emergency
management efforts to meet the access and functional needs
of all citizens, including children and adults with disabilities.
 10 Specialists located within a Region
 ODIC: Office of disability integration and coordination
National Response Framework
 “…populations whose members may have additional needs
before, during, and after an incident in functional areas,
including but not limited to: maintaining independence,
communication transportation, supervision, medical care.
Individuals in need of additional response assistance may
include; those who have disabilities; who live in
institutionalized settings; who are elderly; who are children;
who are from diverse cultures; who have limited English
proficiency or are non-English speaking; or who are
transportation disadvantaged.”
Functional and Access
Children and adults requiring FNSS may have:
 Physical disabilities
 Sensory disabilities
 Mental health, cognitive and/or intellectual disabilities
Others who may benefit from FNSS include:
 Women in late stages of pregnancy
 Elders
 People needing bariatric equipment, transportation or communications
assistance.
Numbers
 Approximately 20% of the population have a disability
(sensory, physical, cognitive (mental health or intellectual).
56.4 million
 Add functional and access needs, the numbers increase
significantly to 50% (Kailes, J. (2005). Disaster Services and “Special Needs:”
Term of Art or Meaningless Term? Kailes-Publications)
The Road to Bothell
 Two degrees in psychology
 Group homes, treatment centers
for recovering youth, individual
support services
 Research Fellow:
 De-institutionalization
 Community development
 Organizational Development
 Research
Road to Bothell
 State Council on Developmental Disability
Forensic services
Developmental Center
Community based advocacy supports
Starting point:
 Empowerment is about
 “…having control over our
own lives…that we are entitled
to equal rights and
opportunity, real choices that
enable us to maintain control
over our lives, power and
authority over the supports and
services designed to assist us,
and full participation in our
communities.” (disability
empowerment center)
 Self-advocacy
 People First Language
Starting point:
 Self-determination
the power or
ability to make a
decision for
oneself without
influence from
outside
Starting point:
 Importance of full and meaningful participation
 Assessable materials and venue
 Structure that enables meaningful contribution
 Flexibility
Starting point:
 Inclusion and integration
 State of being included –
being able to fully
participate in the
experience the same as
anyone else.
 Having the same
opportunities as others
Starting point:
 Community
involvement and
connection
 Participation
 Involvement
 Reciprocity
‘with’ not ‘for’
‘with’ not for
Focus – Whole Community
 “We must look beyond the traditional,
“government-centric” approach to emergency
management and embrace a philosophy and
operational posture that leverages, and serves,
the Whole Community.”
Steps in the direction…
 Meeting community partners.
 Forging relationships with advocacy
groups.
 Bring expertise to the table as collaborators
and partners.
 Working internally as well as externally, in
partnership, to meet the needs of the
whole community.
Steps in the direction
 Participating in meetings
 Disseminating information
 Creating a resource list
 Providing supporting documentation
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Contact Information
 LesleyAnne.ezelle@dhs.gov
 Telephone: 425 420 6026
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Whole Community
A dream you dream alone is only a
dream. A dream you dream together
is reality.
John Lennon