Thumbs Up

Thumbs Up to the American Red Cross in Louisiana and members of LA’s Emergency Management Elderly and Disability Coalition for developing a system that will be responsive to the needs people with disabilities who enter their general population emergency shelters.  Numerous state agencies (such as Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities; Office of Aging and Adult Services; Office of Public Health; LA Rehabilitation Services; Gov.’s Office of Elderly Affairs; and Gov.’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness), along with a variety of disability-related organizations (such as Advocacy Center; Human Development Center; LA Developmental Disabilities Council; LA Assistive Technology Access Network; Families Helping Families of LA; and Arc of LA), have worked with the Red Cross to outline a plan that will provide personal care services and/or assistance to people with disabilities who enter general population Red Cross emergency shelters.