Fires, Disasters & Emergencies

Reimagining Preparedness, Response and Recovery

The Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Network builds partnerships with emergency management leaders at state and local levels to protect the rights, safety and dignity of disaster survivors with disabilities. Advocates and attorneys strive to prioritize and protect disability rights throughout fires, disasters, humanitarian crises and other emergencies utilizing strategies such as impact litigation and structured negotiations.

Check out our COVID-19 Issue page for the latest network-wide updates, activities, and resources related to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Partnerships

NDRN has partnership agreements with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross, the National Association of State Fire Marshals, the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies, and the Center for Campus Fire Safety to operationalize P&A engagement while furthering a national discourse on inclusive emergency management.

Center for Campus Fire Safety logo

NDRN believes that Disability Justice approaches can be used throughout disasters to protect disability rights, recognize histories of harm and center communities of color. We use the 10 Disability Justice Principles created by Sins Invalid to reimagine new paths toward equitable emergency management practices guided by antiracist and antiableist policies. This work is anchored by the need for greater inclusivity of Black Indigenous People of Color with disabilities as we all collectively strive to deepen our understanding of the communities we serve. It is this conscious and continuous commitment to intersectional inclusion that strengthens our capacity to extend legal and advocacy support to diverse disaster survivors with disabilities.

Questions about our work on Fires, Disasters & Emergencies? Contact us at [email protected].

Latest in Fires, Disasters & Emergencies

  • Fires, Disasters & Emergencies

    Responding to an NPRM on Airplane Evacuation Access

    September 20, 2022

    Airplane seats are known for being extremely small and narrow which already makes it difficult for persons with disabilities to board a plane. NDRN submitted comments explaining how this is amplified when a person with a disability must evacuate a plane in an emergency.

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  • Fires, Disasters & Emergencies

    Comments to the FCC on Accessible Emergency Alert Systems

    May 12, 2022

    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) put out a notice of proposed rule-making and a notice of inquiry to collect comments on how to make emergency alert systems (EAS) more accessible for persons who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind. NDRN echoed the comments of the National Association of…

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  • Fires, Disasters & Emergencies

    NDRN Submits Comments to FEMA on Equity for People with Disabilities

    July 19, 2021

    NDRN submitted comments in response to an RFI from FEMA to discuss how the agency can provide better equity to people with disabilities in emergency situations.

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