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Moving Beyond “Special Needs”:
A Function Based Framework for Emergency Management and Planning

Kailes, J. & Enders, A. (in press). Moving beyond “special needs”: A function based framework for emergency management and planning. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. PRO-ED, TX:Austin. (Paper distributed with permission to participants of the Working Conference on Emergency Management and Individuals with Disabilities and the Elderly, June 28 to June 30, 2006, Wardman Park Marriott Hotel, Washington, D.C )

Note:

This paper is still going through the peer review process and there will undoubtedly be changes made due to reviewer and editor suggestions.

The ideas and the functional need categories included in this paper are still under development. We would appreciate your ideas and feedback about the terminology, categories, possible acronyms, etc. What do you think of C-MIST? Communication, medical, independence, supervision, transportation.

For more information regarding using the content in this paper, please contact: jik@pacbell.net

Disaster preparation and emergency response processes, procedures and systems can be made more effective for people with disabilities, as well as for the population as a whole. An essential element of building appropriate levels of capacity is to move beyond use of the "special needs" category, which makes up more than 50% of the population. This paper suggests development of a more accurate and flexible framework based on essential functional needs: maintaining functional independence, communication, supervision, medical, and transportation. It also suggests new approaches to leadership, service delivery and training.

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