people with other access and functional needs during emergencies. At the same time, this task requires personnel and financial resources that many organizations struggle to find. Knowledge level and education were the most frequently cited barriers across all three levels. Knowledge level regarding inclusion of people with disabilities in emergency planning across Pennsylvania was described as uneven, and there were not seen to be enough educational opportunities for emergency managers to address this. Informants at state and regional levels who had less opportunity for direct community outreach perceived limited utility and/or responsibility for outreach and inclusion. In these cases they saw their role as encouraging others to undertake these activities at the local level. One set of barriers identified were logistic issues around accommodations and durable medical equipment. Even where the state had provisioned durable medical equipment for shelters or other emergency uses, moving equipment from caches to a site where it was needed was identified as a potential challenge. One key informant remarked that plans for transportation and management of such equipment needed to be solidified. Consumer Surveys Methods We developed and disseminated two versions of an online consumer survey about the involvement of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in emergency management. One survey was designed for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) and one for the family members or caregivers of people with ID/DD. Both versions of the survey were developed using feedback from the project advisory committee and were tested by a convenience sample of volunteers from the target populations. The survey questions covered topic areas including basic demographic information, past experience in emergencies and disaster, engagement in community emergency planning activities, and personal emergency plans. Respondents had to be 18 years old or older and residents of Pennsylvania. The survey was disseminated through six different organizations serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their family members or caregivers. The survey was open for one month. There were 130 valid responses total for both versions of the survey (103 respondents were family members or caregivers and 27 respondents were
people with other access and functional needs during emergencies. At the same time, this task requires personnel and financial resources that many organizations struggle to find. Knowledge level and education were the most frequently cited barriers across all three levels. Knowledge level regarding inclusion of people with disabilities in emergency planning across Pennsylvania was described as uneven, and there were not seen to be enough educational opportunities for emergency managers to address this. Informants at state and regional levels who had less opportunity for direct community outreach perceived limited utility and/or responsibility for outreach and inclusion. In these cases they saw their role as encouraging others to undertake these activities at the local level. One set of barriers identified were logistic issues around accommodations and durable medical equipment. Even where the state had provisioned durable medical equipment for shelters or other emergency uses, moving equipment from caches to a site where it was needed was identified as a potential challenge. One key informant remarked that plans for transportation and management of such equipment needed to be solidified. Consumer Surveys Methods We developed and disseminated two versions of an online consumer survey about the involvement of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in emergency management. One survey was designed for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) and one for the family members or caregivers of people with ID/DD. Both versions of the survey were developed using feedback from the project advisory committee and were tested by a convenience sample of volunteers from the target populations. The survey questions covered topic areas including basic demographic information, past experience in emergencies and disaster, engagement in community emergency planning activities, and personal emergency plans. Respondents had to be 18 years old or older and residents of Pennsylvania. The survey was disseminated through six different organizations serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their family members or caregivers. The survey was open for one month. There were 130 valid responses total for both versions of the survey (103 respondents were family members or caregivers and 27 respondents were
Whole_Community_Emergency_Mgmnt_PA.docx