A community forum on the Hurricane Florence disaster response and recovery efforts with a specific focus on disability*
Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC) worked in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence to monitor the status of people with disabilities in emergency shelters and otherwise aid recovery efforts. Our advocates witnessed first-hand the devastation Hurricane Florence wreaked on individuals and our communities. These kinds of disasters in North Carolina have presented especially difficult challenges for people with disabilities. We must ensure that communities and local, state and federal agencies are better equipped to respond to the needs and legal rights of disabled people. Details of our finding may be found in the report The Storm after the Storm.
We want to hear from people with disabilities and other disability advocates about the lack of adequate services and supports in shelters and in the community during and after the hurricane, and challenges you may be facing today as a result of the storm.
We are also interested to hear your ideas about what is needed now to provide relief and how North Carolina can be better prepared for future natural disasters. Your stories and suggestions will be used to advocate for improved disaster response and relief services in North Carolina to ensure that disability is no longer a barrier to receiving the support every person is entitled to and needs in times of emergency.
Details
When: March 16, 2019 – 10:00AM to 1:00PM
Where: The Harrison Center at Christ Church
311 Middle St., New Bern, NC 28560
Keynote speakers
A limited number of transportation and child care stipends are available for individuals who can attend and provide testimony at the forum on March 16, that may be requested when you register for free tickets after filling out the survey below.
Regardless of whether you can attend the forum, your voice is needed to advocate for change. Please take time to complete the survey and help us tell your story.
Attending as a community representative or advocate (and do not need to complete the survivor survey)? Tickets for the March 16 event may be reserved at https://dddforum.eventbrite.com
*An individual with a disability is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.
Major life activities may include caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working. People with physical, mental health, intellectual, developmental, sensory and neurological disabilities may all be covered by the ADA.