Project Advises Congregations To Include Disability In Disaster Planning
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
December 7, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC--The National Organization on Disability has launched "Congregations Who Care - Prepare", a pilot project designed to help congregations of all faiths to consider people with disabilities when they design their emergency evacuation plans.

"Each person, with or without a disability, can reduce the impact of disaster by taking steps to prepare before an event occurs," said NOD Chairman Tom Ridge, who became the first Director of Homeland Security in 2001, in a press release. "Congregations are a key partner for achieving this goal in our nation's communities."

The project is a collaboration of NOD's Religion and Disability program and its Emergency Preparedness Initiative, which was formed after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"There is much work to be done, and congregations, which are trusted to distribute reliable health and safety information, can be an invaluable ally in promoting emergency preparedness," explained Ginny Thornburgh, Director of the Religion and Disability Program.

More information is available on the NOD website.

Related:
"Congregations Who Care - Prepare" (National Organization on Disability)
http://www.nod.org/congregationsprepare

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Reproduced here under special arrangement with Inclusion Daily Express international disability rights news service.
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