In 2023, our BC Affiliate received a project grant from Disability Alliance BCÂ (funded by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction) to develop a Personal Response to Emergency Preparedness Project. Laura Mackenrot was hired as Project Manager and responsible for researching, planning, delivering, and documenting up-to-date practical and accessible information related to emergency preparedness. Our thanks go out to Laura for her excellent work; her extensive experience serving several organizations representing persons with disabilities was an asset which speaks volumes to the success of the Personal Response to Emergency Preparedness Project.
Â
The goal of the project was to enable British Columbians who are blind, deafblind and partially sighted to be better prepared to cope with the number of emergencies we face in our province. We wanted to empower people with the knowledge and confidence to stay safe in the event of an emergency whether at home, in a vehicle, or in a workplace.Â
Â
After evaluating the level of preparedness within the blind community through a targeted survey, the project team at the BC Affiliate developed interactive virtual workshops featuring presentations from local experts. The workshops were attended by over 70 participants. At the end of the workshops, we provided templates for participants to develop personalized emergency preparedness plans that would meet everyone’s unique needs. We also developed emergency supplies lists to help people create grab-and-go kits. We distributed commercial emergency kits to workshop participants and held a demonstration on typical emergency kit contents and usability. Finally, we evaluated the accessibility of online resources most helpful to our community.
Â
The project is now completed and we have created a special Resources page which we invite you to visit. On that page, you will find links to download the lists and templates developed for this project so you can create your own emergency kits and plans. You will also find a number of additional online resources.
AEBC is hoping to secure project funding to recreate this project for other provinces in Canada. Stay tuned!
IMAGE ALT TEXT: Picture of person in sunglasses looking at a computer screen