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The Impact of 9/11 on People with Disabilities
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Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, Ph.D.
Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology
American Psychological Association
The Disability Community
- 4 million people in NYC with disabilities
- 54 million people with disabilities in U.S.
- Types include:
- Mobility impairments
- Sensory impairments
- Chronic illnesses and conditions
- Psychiatric and cognitive conditions
Immediate Impact
- People with disabilities left behind
- No formal plan to evacuate
- No safety plan in place
- Many told to "wait until firemen could get them," only to perish
- Some did escape:
- Woman in wheelchair carried 68 floors to safety
- Blind man escorted to safety by his seeing eye dog
Some Problems in Evacuation
- Carrying a PWD can create more problems
- Designated person to assist may not be in the office on the day of an emergency
- May not have special equipment to help evacuate
- Different needs depending on type of disability
Collapse of Infrastructure
- People at ground zero cut off from crucial supplies and assistance necessary for daily living
- 16,000-17,000 elderly could not get Meals on Wheels
- PWD couldn't get to health appointments
- Lack of electricity and water a major health threat
- Limited access to prescription medications
- Internet connections down
- Telephone service and TTY/TDD down. No access to emergency services
- Transportation limited, cut-off or rerouted
- Deaf people had no way of knowing what was happening because of loss of close-captioning
- Independent Living Centers were overwhelmed
Anxiety in the Disability Community
- 58% of PWD do not know whom to contact about emergency plans in their community
- 61% have not made plans to safely evacuate their homes
- 50% say no plans have been made to evacuate their workplaces
- Somewhat higher than general population (Harris Survey/NOD)
Difficulties Three Months Later
- No accessible facilities in shelters
- Lack of accessible hotel rooms
- Difficulty getting around to file necessary govt. paperwork.
- Subway only available means of transport
New Physical Disabilities
- Amputations and spinal cord injuries
- Burn victims
- Head injuries
- Bones crushed
- Loss of vision (damage to or loss of eyes)
- Hearing difficulties
- Respiratory problems (dust, debris and smoke) (John Williams, Nat'l Organization on Disability)
New Psychiatric Disabilities Post 9/11
- Study in Manhattan found that PTSD (7.5%) and depression (9.7%) were twice the national average
- Approximately 67,000 with PTSD and 87,000 with depression
- Higher risk for Hispanic ethnicity, those with higher life stress, low social support, lost a friend or relative, and lost their job (S. Galea, NY Academy of Medicine)
Children Developing Disabilities
- Survey of NYC Public School Children Six Months after 9/11
- 75,000 have symptoms of PTSD
- 60,000 major depression
- 73,000 generalized anxiety
- 107,000 agoraphobia
- Results for children city-wide (Report to NYC Board of Education)
Ongoing Challenges
- Loss of employment
- Loss of health insurance
- Continuing challenges in transport
- Increased anxiety in PWD
- Fear of hiring PWD to work in high-rise offices
- Ongoing problems with airport security
Law, Health Policy, & Disability Center
- Disaster preparation has often overlooked the needs of people with disabilities.
- Too few disaster response officials are trained to deal effectively with people with disabilities
- Few disabled Americans have the knowledge that could help them save their own lives
Disaster Preparedness for PWD
- People with disabilities must prepare themselves
- FEMA and Red Cross have specific instructions
- Individual Workplaces must also devise a plan to safely evacuate all employees with disabilities
- Disaster facilities and services must be accessible
- All types of disabilities must be considered
- Local, state and national government agencies need to also appoint PWD to boards that oversee public safety
- Train emergency personnel on how to work effectively with PWD
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