Disabilities And Disasters Workshop Offered

MERIDEN — The Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities, in conjunction with the Social Role Valorization Implementation Project, Worcester, Mass., announce a free one-day workshop on “What Happens To People With Disabilities At Times Of Societal Stress Or Even Catastrophe And How To Prepare For It” on Tuesday, June 5, from 9 am to 6 pm, at the Meriden Comfort Inn and Suites, 900 East Main Street.

The workshop will be presented by Professor Wolf Wolfensberger and associates, Training Institute for Human Service Planning, Leadership and Change Agentry, Syracuse, N.Y. This workshop is a follow-up to the death of people with disabilities during hurricanes Katrina and Rita and it is intended to influence disaster preparation planning taking place at the local, state, and federal level.

“People with disabilities typically fare very poorly during periods of disaster, such as civil unrest, war, acts of terrorism, catastrophic events of nature, such as hurricanes and floods, and shortages of resources,” said Professor Wolfensberger. “Many people vehemently and foolishly assert that such things cannot happen in North America or cannot happen again after they have happened once.

“Yet we know that an estimated 100 mobility-impaired people died in the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001, and many people with disabilities and other vulnerabilities were exploited, assaulted, abandoned, left behind, and died as a result of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005,” he said.

This presentation reviews the kind of things that happen during different calamities, which people are most at risk during such times, and what puts them at risk. The presentation helps participants prepare for such events in ways that will be protective of the welfare of vulnerable people. The importance of developing and fostering a culture of informal supports that are not dependent upon governmental and service structures, but on voluntary commitments to vulnerable people, will be emphasized. The wide variety that such informal supports can take, and how they can protect vulnerable people, will be sketched.

Registration is free and includes lunch, parking, and handouts. Seating will be limited to 150 people. Check-in and continental breakfast is at 8:30 am. Advanced registration is required; registration will not be accepted at the door.

Registration deadline is May 29. To register, e-mail Ed.Preneta@po.state.ct.us or send your name, agency affiliation (if any), address, telephone and e-mail (if any) to: CT Council on Developmental Disabilities, 460 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106-1308. ATTN: Training and Workshops

For additional information, call 860-418-6157.