The Changing Paradigm in Emergency Management
Preparing for People with Disabilities
Richard Devylder
Richard Devylder is a Special Advisor to the Director
at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
According to the U.S. Census of 2000 there are over 49 million people five-years of age or over in the
United States and almost 6 million in California who identify as having a disability. The Census estimates
that by 2010 the number of individuals with disabilities will exceed 11 million, in California. It is imperative
based on lessons documented in recent disasters, the integration of people with disabilities into
community living and an aging population that the paradigm of emergency planning and responding
change.
“… as we watched the stunning spectacle of people dying of starvation and thirst in the streets of an
American city that seemed to have been abandoned by every form of government, I was struck time and
again at the fact that while race had become “visible,” disability had not—even though we were watching
the deaths of so many people with disabilities. … It is not that their disabilities were invisible;
paradoxically, it was quite the contrary. Who among us can forget that iconic image of the dead woman in
the wheelchair outside the Superdome, covered only in a blanket? That might well have been the very
symbol of Katrina’s devastation in New Orleans, the wheelchair—not the woman, who was not visible, but
the wheelchair itself. For if you used a wheelchair, and you lived in New Orleans in late August, you were
very likely subject to something I will not hesitate to call terror.” (Berube 2005)
It is the “woman in the wheelchair” and so many other individuals with disabilities across this country that
have lost their lives in disasters that began to stir Californian’s with disabilities to take action and
advocate for change in emergency management systems.
What is the Paradigm
PLANNING
OLD:

Not Enough Emphasis Placed on People with Disabilities & Service Organizations

Not Enough Emphasis Placed on Accessible Transportation Providers

Segregation of Needs and Resources in Emergency Management Plans
NEW:

Inclusion of People with Disabilities & Service Organizations

Inclusion of Accessible Transportation Providers

Integration of Needs and Resources in Emergency Management Plans
SERVICES
OLD:

Medical only

Functional Needs Viewed as Medical Problems
NEW:

Prepared to Address Functional Needs

Expert Assessments

Meet Essential Needs
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
OLD:

Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles Not in Evacuation Plans

Durable Medical Equipment, Consumable Medical Supplies, and Accessible Cots Not in Cache
NEW:

Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles Incorporated in Evacuation Plans

Durable Medical Equipment, Consumable Medical Supplies, and Standard Accessible Cots in Cache
SHELTERING
OLD:

Sheltering people with disabilities and activity limitations in Special Needs/Medical Shelter

Facilities & Temporary Structures Not Accessible
NEW:

Sheltering people with disabilities and activity limitations in General Population Shelter

Facilities & Temporary Structures Required and/or Retrofitted to become Accessible
LANGUAGE
OLD:

Special Needs

Vulnerable Populations
NEW:

Functional Needs

People with Disabilities and Activity Limitations
OUTCOMES
OLD:

Increased number of deaths, medical problems ….
NEW:

Improved ability to maintain independence, health and safety
VALUES
OLD:

People with Disabilities are Viewed as Collateral
NEW:

People with Disabilities and Activity Limitations Recognized as a Significant Part of the Population,
and Valued as a Person
COMPLIANCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS LAW
OLD:

Communication, Facilities, Materials and Services Are Not Accessible
NEW:

Communication, Facilities, Materials and Services Are Accessible
In order to change the paradigm it is important to understand who is involved and how they operate.
It is important to consider that there isn’t a “disability community”, as the needs of disability groups are
diverse and unique. The disability groups have diverse opinions and approaches to resolving issues and
changing systems. For the disability groups, change isn’t just about testifying at hearings, writing letters or
holding rallies at the State Capitol; it is about changing the paradigm of planning and responding to
become a process that is inclusive of the community.
Emergency management is diverse and doesn’t fall under a single authority but exists at local, state and
federal levels. Disasters occur and initial response is at a local level. Emergency management is based in
California on the Standardized Emergency Management System and National Incident Management
System, and planning does not typically include representation outside of government agencies that have
established roles and responsibilities during disasters and recovery.
The diversity of the disability groups and its leadership, and the established emergency management
systems, brings natural confusion for both, as to who are the leaders to engage and how to make
meaningful change in planning, systems and operations.
Changing the Paradigm
In September 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 1451 by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San
Diego), which required the Office of Emergency Services (OES) to ensure that members of the disability
community are represented on all pertinent committees of the Standardized Emergency Management
Systems (SEMS). In the press release announcing the enactment of SB 1451 Governor Schwarzenegger
states “September 11th and Hurricane Katrina were wake up calls for emergency planners and these
tragic disasters helped us become better prepared today than ever before. I am proud to sign this
legislation, which takes into account the unique needs of persons with disabilities during an emergency,
such as access to transportation and life-saving medications,”…… “There is much that California has
done and continues to do to strengthen its preparedness. It’s also important that every family, every
business and every school also have their own emergency plan.” The bill sponsor was the California
Council for the Blind (CCB) and was a victory for disability rights advocates across California and the first
step in changing the paradigm. The bill now places individuals with disabilities within the State level
planning structure addressing communication, evacuation/transportation, sheltering and recovery.
The disability community understood that being part of planning committees wasn’t enough since most
decisions and policies are made at the executive level within the structure of day-to-day operations.
Therefore, the next step was getting an executive level position established within State government to
reshape emergency management systems, policies and practices in communicating, evacuating and
sheltering Californian’s with disabilities. In 2007, Senator Kehoe introduced SB 426, sponsored by the
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC), intended to create the position of Deputy
Director for Access and Functional Needs Coordination within OES. Although, the bill did not make it
through the legislative process, it did elevate the concept and importance of such a position being
established.
In January 2008, the director of OES, Henry Renteria, created the Office for Access and Functional
Needs (OAFN). The purpose of OAFN is to identify needs of people with disabilities before, during and
after a disaster, and integrate disability needs and resources into all aspects of emergency management
systems. The establishment of OAFN is vital in moving forward to address the needs of Californian’s with
disabilities in planning and response at a State level, and offering guidance and technical assistance to
local governments, and when requested to Community Based Organizations (CBO), private sector, and
others. With these significant changes at the State, the real success will be measured by how the
paradigm changes with local jurisdictions.
During the October 2007 fires, the level of preparedness varied amongst local jurisdictions and significant
planning for people with disabilities remains. Ultimately, the communities rose to the occasion and,
although many individuals and organizations/departments were not part of the “master plan”, they still
played major roles in assisting residents with disabilities.
Change will not occur through legislation or “unfunded mandates”, but a commitment by those
responsible for emergency management planning and disability service organizations/departments to
integrate their cultures and develop a collaborative working relationship on the issues. There is a lot to
consider in the statement “NOTHING ABOUT US, WITHOUT US” which is often heard in the disability
community. Very simply, integration not segregation will ultimately change the paradigm of all aspects of
emergency management systems.