Disability Inclusive Disaster Preparedness in NSW: Enabling Local Community Resilience through Collaboration Funded by the NSW Government under the Community Resilience Innovation Program Introduce project and self Funded by the NSW Government under the Community Resilience Innovation Program Audience: Vast majority local Council - Emergency Management Officers, Community Development, Aged Care, not for profits, State Gov, Health Vic Important messages re outreach, partnering and connecting with people Like practical advice they can start to use – what works Case illustrations good showing best practice Image artwork copyright Helen Cooke, an artist supported by Sunshine's Community Access Program Art Studio.

Disability and Natural Disasters Disability and Disasters The World Report on Disability (2011) finds 15% to 20% of the world’s population living with disability. Figures from the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011) in Miyagi prefecture indicate a general mortality rate of 0.8%. For persons with disabilities the mortality rate jumped to 3.5% (more than 4 time higher). Following the Haiti earthquake (2010) an estimated 200,000 people were left living with disability. (UNESCAP, 2012). Individuals with disability are more likely to be socially isolated and have nobody to turn to in times of emergencies. Risk is further increased due to a fragmented system where responsibility to address the unique needs and capabilities of people with disabilities in disasters is unclear. In disasters, many people with disabilities rely on the support from Community Services Organisations (CSOs), Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs), Local Government Areas (LGAs) and local businesses. Yet these organisations have limited experience in emergency preparedness, and might have unrealistic expectations on the help that Emergency Management Agencies would be able to provide 1 2 1WHO, 2011 2Miyagi Prefecture, 2012

Our study locations In a recent study by Sewell and others (including Dale), data from the NSW government on disaster declarations by LGAs between 2004 and 2014 was collated and mapped. The left hand maps show totally number of declared disasters (all types combined) in each LGA over that 10 year period and highlighted LGAs are the most disadvantaged Maps on right show statistically significantly clustering of natural disasters by type (and combined). SIGNIFICANTLY, there’s a major ‘hotspot’ of clustered disasters in the NE of NSW that coincides with some of the most disadvantaged LGAs in NSW These are important areas to work in Sewell et al., (In press). Nature Scientific Reports

Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) Analysis of the data used the Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction framework DIDRR is a new approach to DRR, that is is based on all DRR practice but it integrates the following principles: • Participation - persons with disabilities must be active participants in planning, implementation and monitoring of DRR actions.. Therefore barriers to active participation have to be removed and capacity building programs enhanced. • Comprehensive accessibility and universal design are important concepts that should be incorporated in all phases of emergency management. • Non-discrimination should underpin all policies in emergencies management, and require a proactive approach aiming at identifying and removing exclusion factors, which prevent persons with disabilities from accessing relief services and programs on peace and conflict mitigation. • Coordination and collaboration Disaster and conflict management involve a large variety of stakeholders that all need to coordinate their efforts to ensure that disability is included in their projects as a core-crosscutting theme. (Centre for Disability Research & Policy & Hazards Research Group, 2017)

Shift in paradigm to empowerment Victims Vulnerable Trained & able Active participation & Meaningful contribution Images: https://www.travoge.com/blog/importance-of-international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-tanzania/ http://www.mvcc.edu/disability-services/notice-of-non-discrimination-policy NOTE THAT THIS HAS PRIMARILY BEEN APPLIED TO DISASTER RISK REDUCTION PHASE – BUT IF WE ARE GOING TO BUILD COMMUNITY RESILIENCE INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WE HAVE TO DO SO THROUGH ALL PHASES INCLUDING RESPONSE EVACUATION RESTORATION LONGER TERM THE MORE WE BUILD COMMUNITY RESILIENCE WHICH IS DISABILITY INCLUSIVE THE LESS CHALLENGES THERE WILL BE IN PROVIDING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES APPROPRIATELY IN ALL PHASES BASED ON THE NATIONAL APPROACH TO DISABILITY AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION AND MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION WORKING TOGETHER REDUCES VULNERABILITY Images: https://www.travoge.com/blog/importance-of-international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-tanzania/ http://www.mvcc.edu/disability-services/notice-of-non-discrimination-policy

Collaboration Method Phase 1 Local Information Workshops Phase 2 Local Emergency Preparedness Workshops COMMUNITY committed to building community resilience COMMUNITY Prioritised risk reduction activities Additional third phase Community outreach STRENGTHS AND BARRIERS TO BUILDING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE Review of Organisational Preparedness Tool (ACOSS, Resilient Community Organisations Review of individual self assessment for Emergency Preparedness Tool (ISAT-EP) All phases fed into each other: Responding to barriers to participation Taking learnings from community members at each phase to help guide following activities Additional community outreach included: Focus groups – to ensure voices of people with disability were included, Face-to-face meetings with stakeholders –the Project Manager individually met with those unable to attend typically at their office location to share information about the workshop, as well as to seek feedback on the individual and organisational self assessment tools; Telephone follow up – the Project Manager sought feedback from participants who were unable to meet face-to-face. Data (with consent) was collected from these conversations; Project resources (such as first workshop report, newsletters, ISAT-EP for review etc) were also shared via email and post. E.g resources sent to a famly member of a participant from the first workshop and followed up by interview early in 2017. This approach ensured the family still had the opportunity to engage with and contribute to the project; Contributions from the project’s Advisory Panel Panel members offered to act as conduits sharing information about the project through their networks to encourage participation; Providing opportunities for networking between stakeholders. E.g linked MDAA NSW with Northern Settlement Services  who have developed preparedness resources for CALD communities available at  http://nsservices.com.au/?page_id=1577 Attendance at community events – e.g Deaf Festival held in October 2016, PDCN I’m Okay website launch; MDAA AGM

Photographs from third phase community outreach IMPORTANT MESSAGE – WE WENT TO AND WERE INVOLVED IN COMMUNITIES. NOT JUST HOLDING A WORKSHOP IN THEIR AREA BUT TAKING TIME TO CONNECT IN COMMUNITY Top left – attendance at the Deaf Festival October 2016 Centre – Prof. Gwynnyth Llewellyn walks around and meets with Taree organisations Bottom right – Hayley attends MDAA NSW Board meeting to discuss project

Outcome of collaboration At the end of process together we were able to develop Local Emergency Management Guidelines for Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction and accompanying video. Includes for example practical tips and considerations that came from people with disability and organisations supporting people. http://sydney.edu.au/health-sciences/cdrp/projects/disasterdisab.shtml

Key Messages Starting point Community engagement Structural barriers No distinct starting point Take a first step bringing people together Starting point Develop local knowledge about Natural disaster risk AND Local community strengths, challenges and resources Community engagement Structural barriers compromise participation Leverage local capacity to remove or work around structural barriers Structural barriers Starting point There is no one distinct starting point for local community engagement in DIDRR There are tools that assist emergency managers and disability support providers to get started at any point in the process Community engagement Community engagement and resilience begins when emergency managers, people with disability, and disability support providers learn and work together Developing local knowledge about natural disaster risk AND local community strengths, challenges and resources is an important step in learning and working together Structural barriers Structural barriers compromise participation of people with disability in emergency preparedness for natural disasters Agile systems of partnership require emergency managers to engage diverse networks and leverage local capacity to remove or work around the structural barriers Emergency managers need support and resources to engage local networks and carry out DIDRR activities effectively

Developing disability inclusive capacity What networking opportunities are there for shared learning about DIDRR between community (including people with disability) and the emergency management sector? Do structural barriers exist for this to occur? Requires ongoing commitment Important of acknowledging and utilising the knowledge and expertise from within both the emergency management and disability/community sectors. Community Service Organisations (CSOs), and Disability Support Organisations (DSOs), have in-depth knowledge about people with disability in their community and they have established networks of trust and support; Structural barriers In the project we observed: Examples Roles and responsibilities of Emergency Managers – commitment to responding to emergencies Disability Sector – busy workloads where organisations are transitioning to the NDIS acted as a barrier

Developing networking for coordinated planning for DIDRR Bringing Emergency Managers and people from community including people with disability together to discuss their different points of view  Connecting on the same level in a on topic of common interest Hearing other’s perspectives “I didn’t think of that before”.   Observed and told during workshops and also from post workshop feedback Bring people together from emergency management and disability sectors to share information and build capacity and organisational networks for coordinated planning for DIDRR ongoing commitment. initiatives were discussed as needing to be continuous, revisiting and sharing within the community regularly. Preparedness initiatives could not just be a “one off”; “Having a Local Council Emergency Plan doesn’t mean that all in the community know what to do,” it is important that awareness initiatives happen as well; Action Over Talk Importance of turning intentions into actions. As one CSO stated, “It’s good to consult but some feel over-consulted – people want action rather than talk”; Participants told us they wanted ‘Action not just talk’. Some community members feel over consulted but do not see action Which voices are not present? How can you include them? inclusion was discussed as particularly important for those who are socially isolated members of the community. CALD communities Photograph of participants at Taree workshop 11 October 2016

Provide comprehensive information in accessible formats “lack of accessible information is our biggest barrier” A key to preparedness is “having access to information and feeling empowered when we do”. Accessible information was identified as one of the biggest barriers for people with disability. Example of participant with disability coming away from the workshop. He had raised awareness about not being able to access his scripts. After leaving the workshop he went to his local GP to speak about this. Together they made a plan to develop an online My Health Record. Attending workshops spoke about fear of dark and then having a flash light as part of his plan. Tips to have accessible information Refer to Web Content Accessiblity Guidelines Peak representative organisations contracted to review content for accessibility If people with disability are attending events/workshops. Ask them if they have any requests to assist their participation

Provide self-assessment tools and resources Provide information and tools so people can self-assess their knowledge about the following: the local natural disaster context their capabilities their support needs their support network and how they will plan and act together in the event of a natural disaster Focus on importance of Knowing Local context risks together with self assessment of strengths, capabilities and areas you may need assistance. Observed by participant in the project. Individual with disability engaged in his own self assessment identified gaps and risks to his preparedness. Took this knowledge working with his support worker, to plan what he could do to become prepared. Also used this in the context of his National Disability Insurance Scheme Planning,.

Local Emergency Management Guidelines for Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction in NSW Can be accessed on our project website http://sydney.edu.au/health-sciences/cdrp/projects/disasterdisab.shtml Or contact: Hayley Brooks, Project Manager hayley.brooks@sydney.edu.au 02 9351 9152 Contact details to receive downloadable electronic copy of the guidelines

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