Communities must consider the laws on accessibility and non-discrimination as we
ll as the demographics of their community. Persons with disabilities must be involved in planning sessions to identify needs for communication, transportation, accessibility, support, equipment, services and supplies. The communities should identify resources available and gaps in resources. FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) is designed in response to these needs.
Child’s Information Must Be Readily Available During a Crisis
The medical information for a child with special needs should be easily found in multiple locations, including the child’s home, school, personal effects, parent’s personal effects, school bus, parent’s vehicle, healthcare provider’s records, as well as records of the police, fire, ambulance dispatch and emergency management agencies. The child’s records should also be available at the emergency department of his or her local hospital.
A child’s information can be placed on a variety of forms, wallet sized cards, window stickers, refrigerator vials and single page summaries. Much of this data can be provided by the child’s pediatrician.
- child’s name and date of birth
- date of provision of medical information
- emergency contact information
- healthcare provider contact information
- chronic illnesses and disabilities
- physical and mental status
- vital signs and lab reports
- immunization history
- medications
- allergies
- standard symptoms and responses
The American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics both support and provide forms for gathering and documenting this information.
Gerald Eugene Summers is a Crisis Intervention Team member certified by the Southwestern Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, certified School Safety/Healthy Children Instructor, and Advanced School Specialist certified by the State of Indiana. He is the security and safety coordinator for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. He can be reached at [email protected].
Prior to serving as executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Evansville Inc. for 26 years, Sue Ann Hartig was the first female judicial officer in Vanderburgh County Indiana and City Attorney for the City of Evansville, Ind. She is a registered family and civil mediator. Hartig can be reached at [email protected].
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Note: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety magazine.
