Disaster Preparedness for People with Complex Communication Needs: A Personal Perspective

• 2012

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• Pamela Kennedy

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About

This video presentation features Pamela Kennedy's experience during a flood in Grand Forks, North Dakota. As someone with complex communication needs, she faced challenges when evacuated to a shelter. She couldn't communicate easily without her computer and felt isolated from friends and family. This experience motivated her to prepare better for emergencies by keeping essential items ready and informing local emergency services about her needs. Pamela now works to help others with similar challenges through projects like "AAC and All That Jazz," which focuses on supporting people with complex communication needs during disasters. The video describes 7 steps for emergency preparation that are critical to all individuals with complex communication needs.

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Tags

Focus Areas: Everyday Emergency; Natural Disasters; Severe Weather

Audience: Families & Children

Emergency Management Stage: Preparedness (Prevention / Protection)

Keywords: Communication Aids for Disabled; Disaster Planning; Floods; Disabled Persons; Emergency Shelter

Institutions: Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (RERC on AAC)

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