OHSU UCEDD Addresses Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities

July 20, 2022

In 2021, the Oregon Health & Science University UCEDD partnered with the University of Southern California UCEDD at Children's Hospital Los Angeles to host an Emergency Preparedness webinar for people with disabilities. Wesley Witherspoon, Consumer Advocate, USC UCEDD and Donna Harris, M.A., Disability Advocate and Emergency Preparedness Instructor, presented about how to prepare for emergencies using the Feeling Safe Being Safe toolkit and how to create a power outage plan.

Then, after a winter of severe storms and early extreme heat waves in the Pacific Northwest, the OHSU UCEDD hosted a second webinar in 2022 "Emergency Preparedness: Heat Waves, Wildfire and Power Outages.” Oregon Self-Advocacy Coalition members Arianna Richardson, Michael Steen and Ross Ryan, and instructor Donna Harris shared their personal experience with heat waves and wildfires and tips on how to be prepared for heat and wildfire related emergencies.

Emergency preparedness is a topic of concern for many and of growing concern for Oregonians with disabilities as expressed by OHSU UCEDD partners and community board members in the OHSU UCEDD’s 5-year renewal needs assessment. Going into a new five-year workplan, the UCEDD will expand work and collaboration in this area.

You can find the webinar recordings and additional resources shared during each webinar at this link: https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/past-events+