Event aims to ensure everyone can handle an emergency, regardless of abilities.
Plan for emergencies no matter your ability.
Connect4Life has partnered with Centennial College to host an event which shows seniors and people with disabilities how to better prepare for any emergency or natural disaster.
Titled Inclusive Emergency Preparedness for People of All Abilities: Are You Prepared?, the event on May. 15, will focus on ensuring that the most vulnerable groups have the know how to planning for emergency, by addressing accessibility gaps which may be present.
The program will include guest speakers, interactive workshops, information booths, and raffle prizes. Participants will learn how to create personal emergency plans and build emergency preparedness kits tailored to different abilities.
Community partners including the Canadian Red Cross and Toronto Paramedic Services, will also take part, providing information, answering questions, and contributing to workshop content.
Melanie Taddeo, president and CEO of Connect4Life, said the need for the event comes from gaps in current emergency planning. She pointed to real-life barriers during emergencies, including evacuation challenges, communication needs and reliance on assistive devices.
“We have heard in the province of Ontario that they’re really promoting being prepared in emergency situations, whether that’s a natural disaster or something that involves an evacuation, and that’s important. But as individuals with disabilities or seniors, there’s other considerations that the government hasn’t really touched upon too much, such as for myself, as an individual with a disability, if I am called upon to evacuate, I use accessible transportation. I can’t just jump in a car or on a bus and go,” Taddeo said.
She adds that emergency planning often overlooks these realities and highlighted a lack of awareness and training when it comes to supporting people with these vulnerable groups during a crisis.
This event is designed to be beneficial for individuals with disabilities, seniors, students entering related fields, as well as first responders and professionals who want to better support communities during emergencies.
“The most common emergency preparedness gap is the lack of understanding and education of first responders, and that’s no fault of anybody, because not everybody is equipped to understand how to interact with people with disabilities and seniors to make sure that they’re being treated equitably, fairly and with dignity,” she said.
“Because in an emergency, emotions are high, we need to get people safe, and that’s it. But for example, if somebody is deaf or hard of hearing or blind or visually impaired, there’s other considerations you must consider, such as, how do you communicate with them? And for seniors, individuals don’t move as quickly as perhaps others would like I just want to create that everybody is prepared in all situations.”
This is the first time Connect4Life is hosting the event in partnership with Centennial College. Taddeo said it is also timed just after Emergency Preparedness Week in Ontario to allow a focused discussion on accessibility.
Participants who attend and register through Eventbrite will receive a certificate of completion.
“It’s about collaboration. It’s about sharing lived experiences as well as something that can be valuable to our communities, especially in Scarborough” Taddeo concluded
The event will be held May. 15 starting at 10 a.m., at 75 Ashtonbee Rd. (Centennial College Ashtonbee campus)
To register, visit InclusiveEmergencyPreparedness.eventbrite.ca.
