Video Series: Preparedness and Disability Integration
People living with disabilities have faced unique challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including barriers to accessing the COVID-19 vaccine. By learning about physical and digital accessibility, vaccine confidence, and community partnership building, health agencies can increase capacity to support people with disabilities during emergency response and vaccine distribution.
Each video in this series focuses on a unique topic and features stories exploring the critical need for engagement of disability stakeholders and disability-led organizations as equity partners and methods to build capacity through this critical resource.
Disability Etiquette Competence and Inclusion Training
This training covers basic disability awareness and etiquette for including and assisting people with disabilities in public health programs on a day-to-day basis and during public health emergencies.
Public Health Emergency Management Toolkit With WID
This training walks through the purpose of the ASTHO/WID Public Health Emergency Planning Toolkit, its use, and its application to emergency planning that ensures public health emergency planning process and plans are universally inclusive and eliminate systemic barriers whenever possible. The training will focus on achieving whole community inclusion in alignment with the Public Health Emergency Preparedness requirements.
Note: This video has been edited to remove some inaccurate information reported in error.
Introducing New Approaches to Enhance Power Outage Support Users
An interactive session introducing a new toolkit on promising approaches to enhance power outage support for life support users. This virtual offering briefs attendees about the significant increase in power outages and their impact on in-home life support users, explains current barriers for life support users when navigating and surviving power outages, and introduces the Louisiana Department of Health’s Power Outage Partners pilot and the range of other approaches jurisdictions can employ to increase power outage support for life support users.
Lessons Learned and Successes from Guam
ASTHO and the University of Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (Guam CEDDERS) discuss preparedness, health equity, and disability inclusion. This virtual offering highlights key lessons learned, successes, and takeaways gathered from the 2023 stakeholder meeting of the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services, the University of Guam CEDDARS, the government of Guam, and the disability community.
Defining Disability for Syndromic Surveillance: Data to Action
Panelists from ASTHO and Thought Bridge offer a unique perspective on defining disability within syndromic surveillance. The discussion shows how this definition of disability can be used to promote health for people with disabilities during public health emergencies. Participants explain how viewing disability as a demographic can help to better understand the disparate impact of public health emergencies on people with disabilities.
Disability Equity in Emergency Preparedness: Lessons from COVID-19 Vaccination in Massachusetts
This unique exploration of disability equity in emergency preparedness, draws on lessons learned from COVID-19 vaccination efforts in Massachusetts. The discussion highlights how tailored emergency response strategies can enhance accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities.
Nassira Nicola from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health shares valuable insights on effectively communicating health information and addressing barriers to access during emergencies by using practical tools and data-driven approaches for fostering a more inclusive and equitable emergency preparedness framework.