Disability and Health Emergency Preparedness Assessment
Communities that are well prepared to protect against, respond to, and recover from disasters have disability inclusive emergency plans, accessible shelters, and policies to address the challenges that people with disabilities are most likely to experience during emergencies and disasters. State Disability and Health Programs have worked with their community partners to make sure all these elements are in place.
Shelters need to be accessible for people with disabilities. States have created materials that shelter managers can use to assess and improve their capacity to provide appropriate care and timely access to people with disabilities.
ADA Compliance Tip Sheet pdf icon[183 KB, 1 page]external icon: This resource helps shelter managers assess common accessibility barriers and find solutions.
Montana Shelter 2020 Initiativeexternal icon: This five-year statewide project guides local emergency planners and their partners through series of assessments and planning activities to build the capacity of selected shelters to serve the whole community. Through Shelter 2020, Montana Disability and Health Program Accessibility Ambassadorsexternal icon collaborate with local emergency managers to assess each shelter’s accessibility and identify any needs for improvement. For this purpose, the Montana Disability and Health Program has updated the Department of Justice’s ADA Checklist for Emergency Shelters to include 2010 standards. This version with a training presentation is available on the program’s websiteexternal icon.