The story does not say if any of the disabled residents have tried the legal route, but obviously something needs to be done. There is no reason why someone in a wheelchair can’t get into their apartment or rooms in said apartment because they are too narrow. These folks need to educated that the ADA exists and has guarantees that these kinds of boundaries are not legal and must be repaired. One of the many problems with hospitals is that they do not do any kind of training on the ADA, or where to go for services. Land and apartment owners know the law all too well and routinely "forget" to do the lawful thing light widening doorways and providing elevators. There are many lawyers in the country that will take on ADA cases for free and get their fees from those that are sued. Something that would be very useful is when a disabled person accesses disability payments they are automatically sent a booklet on ADA and the phone number of a social worker that can help the disabled to navigate the confusion.

In the mean time we need to keep in mind that we all need to understand our rights so that they are not trampled. Unfortunately, many property owners all out refuse to help the disabled unless they are dragged in front of a judge. Work needs to be done at the city level as well so that newly built buildings follow the ADA guidelines. In Georgia we have found many problems where city officials actually believe they do not have to follow the ADA because local laws grandfather them into letting them build whatever they want. That is definitely not the case and we plan on working with the mayors and other city officials so they understand the law is for them to follow and that lawyers can be used to force the issue. I’d rather they just do the right thing but it they are stubborn then it is off to the courthouse.

In fact, according to Lex Frieden, director of Independent Living Research Utilization, approximately 50 percent of the thousands of people who died as a result of Hurricane Katrina were either elderly or disabled. So when Laura George asked me to write an article on any topic related to emergency preparedness and special needs for the Spinal Cord Resources Network, I quickly agreed. While I’ve written a number of pieces on this subject, this opened ended assignment allowed me the opportunity to take a different approach to the issue of preparedness. I decided I would randomly poll my friends with disabilities, which range from mobility to vision to hearing impairments, to see just how prepared they actually are should a disaster strike.

It’s been exactly one week since I sent out an e-mail asking my friends if they have an emergency plan in place at home and/or at work. While only about half of them have responded, I’ve found some of their responses to be enlightening. For starters, more of them had a plan in place than I expected—at least at work, that is. In fact, one of my friends said she and her coworkers conduct drills three times a year to make sure everyone knows how to carryout their plan.

One gentleman, who uses a wheelchair, wrote that his office is very close to the entrance of the building, but his agency still has a basic plan in place. As part of this plan, he must always let someone know where he will be in the office and when he is leaving. In addition, they have a set meeting point outside when evacuation is necessary. Emergency supplies, like flashlights and first aid kits, are also kept in the office.

It was also encouraging to see that the youngest of the responders—a high school teenager with physical limitations—had a plan in place at home. Even more encouraging is that her plan is multifaceted to account for various types of disasters. For example, should a tornado come their way, her family has a designated meeting spot in the basement. They even have it in their plan to arrive at this point with their shoes and jackets on—if possible. However, she admits that her family’s plan does need work in some areas, although that’s partially because they just recently moved to a new neighborhood.

This brings up a good point—getting a proper plan in place doesn’t usually happen over night and often requires amendments as time goes on. Janet Shaw, of New Jersey, realizes that developing a suitable plan not only takes time and careful consideration, but that it can also cost a bit of money to acquire emergency supplies as necessary.

“We (follow) a great emergency management plan that tells you what to buy each week for 24 weeks so it is not so overwhelming. It’s called the Family Disaster Supplies Calendar, which is intended to help you prepare for disasters before they happen. Using the calendar, we can assemble an emergency kit in the small steps over a six-month period,” said Shaw, whose husband is recovering from a spinal cord injury.  

While a respectable number of my friends have plans in place (or are at least beginning to develop one), several of them do not have any plan for home or work and realize it’s something they need to address. For these individuals, Shaw suggests following the tips on the calendar she has, which is available free of charge through Mayes County Emergency Management (1-877-263-0280).

FEMA officials also released the following emergency tips to help seniors and people with disabilities prepare for disaster (www.fema.gov):

• Make prior arrangements with your physician or check with your oxygen supplier about emergency plans for those on respirators or other electric-powered medical equipment. Be sure to have electrical backup for any medical equipment.
• Maintain a two-week supply of medications, both prescription and non-prescription.
• Have copies of your medical records readily available.
• Have copies of prescriptions for medical equipment, supplies, and medications on-hand and readily available.
• Keep extra contact lenses and supplies, extra eyeglasses, and extra batteries for hearing aids on-hand.
• Make plans now to have accessible transportation in case of evacuation.
• Shelters may be limited in accommodations to meet some of the needs of those with disabilities. Prepare ahead of time to ensure that you will have what you need.
• Include your service animals and pets in your plans.

“Who best to plan but us? We know our own strengths and weaknesses; our own resources and networks. We have an obligation to ourselves and our families to be active participants in our own safety and not assume the role of ‘passive victim,’ especially when we would never dream of doing that in any other aspect of our lives,” says Elizabeth Davis, founder and managing director of EAD & Associates, LLC, an emergency management firm that focuses on populations with special needs.

And while Davis believes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, it’s still important to plan for the worst case scenario should something happen to you. 

“I have all the legal paperwork for a medical power of attorney, and it is on file in my home, with the power of attorney, and at the local hospital as well as at the VA hospital,” said Buddy Hayes, who has multiple sclerosis and resides in New Mexico. “There are directions as to what needs to be done and when—like bills that need to be, who is to care for my service animal, etc.”

Hayes said she also specified what she wants done should she pass away. “It is all written down so no one has to wonder what Buddy would want—it is right there,” she said. “I would never want to put that burden on someone if they didn’t know what I wanted.”

For more information on life-saving emergency preparedness, visit www.eadassociates.com. 

WHen will corporations learn that it is not wise to discriminate against the disabled? Disabled workers are shown to work harder and call in sick far fewer times then able bodied workers. The disabled appreciate the chance to work and go above and beyond to let the managers know the made a good choice in picking that worker. Don’t throw the disabled out on the street, give us a chance to prove that we are a valuable resource for your company. You will be surprised what we are capable of doing for the company.

Hopefully this research will point to new drugs that can be used to combat these problems. THe report noted that the work done was on rats that do not have an exact 1:1 relationship to all activities of the human brain and that studies of people need to be done. But it makes sense that chronic pain can easily pull your concentration away fro m an actvity to the point ot the pain over anything else. Plus, when in extreme pain, it can be difficult or impossible to remember something in particular because the pain is keeping you from using all the parts of your brain to remember. The best thing to do is to keep your pain down to manageable amounts and to always take your pain medication when required. If the pain is more then your regular medication can handle, it is important to take your break through pain drug. The longer you wait the worse the pain will be and the loner it waill take for the medication to take effect. There are no special awards given to those that wait until it is too late before taking their break through medication. When you know you need the medication, take it so you will not suffer.