AAPD Partners with CEPIN to Create
Emergency Management
Web Training
People with Disabilities Will Benefit
WASHINGTON, DC - November 25, 2008 - The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is pleased to partner with the Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN) to develop an emergency management web-based training program. AAPD, the largest cross-disability membership organization in the U.S., will provide technical assistance to CEPIN on content and usability for the training program.
This self-paced, web-based training will increase public awareness about challenges that people with various functional needs, including those with disabilities, face during disasters and will examine the needs gaps in emergency plans. The pilot program for the training will launch in Spring 2009 and will jumpstart the dialogue needed to develop mutual understanding and respect between the special needs and emergency management communities.
"Raising the awareness of the disability community’s needs when emergencies happen is critical to the inclusion and empowerment of individuals with disabilities and their families. AAPD is excited to participate in a network that can save lives and improve planning and services for everyone in the wake of a disaster," said Andrew J. Imparato, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities.
"People with disabilities are among the most adversely affected in emergency situations, often left out and left behind." said Jenifer Simpson, Senior Director for Technology Initiatives at the American Association of People with Disabilities. "Through this training effort we hope to encourage emergency managers to work directly with the disability community and other groups with similar functional needs. CEPIN’s training will be a big step forward in reaching this goal."
About CEPIN: CEPIN is coordinated by Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI) and develops model community education programs for emergency responders and special needs populations. For more information about CEPIN, visit www.cepintdi.org
About TDI: TDI is a membership organization that promotes equal access to telecommunications, media and information technology for 31 million Americans who are deaf and hard of hearing. For more information, go to www.tdi-online.org
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The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest cross-disability membership organization, organizes the disability community to be a powerful voice for change – politically, economically, and socially. AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To learn more, visit the AAPD website: www.aapd.com.
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