Sorry for any cross postings. Susan
Subject:
Information for People who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
From:
Justice For All Moderator <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 4 Sep 2005 09:18:51 -0400
To:
[log in to unmask]
Hello everyone,
I would like to share with you a press release that the Community
Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN) has issued last
Friday, announcing points of contact for deaf and hard of hearing people
who are impacted by Katrina.
Jim House
National CEPIN Coordinator
Assistance Available for Hurricane Victims who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
CEPIN Regional Centers Standing by to Assist Displaced Individuals and
Families
Emergency assistance plans have been put in place for Hurricane Katrina
victims who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. The Community
Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN) Project has designated
CSD of Oklahoma and Northern Resource Virginia Center for Deaf and Hard
of Hearing Persons (NVRC) as CEPIN contact centers for Hurricane Katrina
victims and their families.
Agencies serving deaf or hard of hearing individuals in the areas
affected by Hurricane Katrina are reporting that their phone lines and
offices are shut down for the time being. Coverage for pagers may be weak
at times due to loss of network capabilities. As a result, people wanting
to find information on recovery and rescue efforts in the areas
devastated by Hurricane Katrina are encouraged in Louisiana or displaced
westward in Texas to contact CSD of Oklahoma during regular business
hours at:
www.c-s-d.org (click on locations, then Oklahoma)
(866) 845-7445 Voice/TTY (Toll Free)
(918) 835-7445 Voice/TTY
(918) 835-6459 FAX
[log in to unmask]
We have people standing by at the CEPIN regional center, which is being
facilitated by CSD of Oklahoma Division Director Glenna Cooper," said Dr.
Benjamin J. Soukup, CSD CEO. "We recognize that people who are deaf or
hard of hearing are often overlooked in disaster recovery and rescue
efforts, and we are working hard to ensure that this does not happen with
Hurricane Katrina. CSD of Oklahoma is working closely with the local Red
Cross and other appropriate organizations, and they will be
able to provide assistance."
"In addition to the victims, our office is also providing support and
resources to the responders and volunteers to ensure that deaf and hard
of hearing refugees are getting much-needed assistance," added Soukup.
For those wanting information in other states affected by Katrina such as
Florida, Alabama or Mississippi, and displaced refugees in the
Mid-Atlantic area, contact Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and
Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC).
"We are heartbroken seeing all the devastation that Katrina has brought
upon people in the Gulf States, especially those who are deaf, hard of
hearing, deaf-blind and late-deafened," said Cheryl Heppner, Executive
Director of NVRC.
Heppner added, "As part of CEPIN, we are eager to work with organizations
and agencies to ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing get
the services they need, especially hearing aids or other devices vital to
effective communication. At a time when their lives are turned upside
down, we hope the last thing worry about is how they will be able to
communicate with others."
NVRC may be contacted during regular business hours at:
www.nvrc.org
(703) 352-9056 TTY
(703) 352-9055 Voice
(703) 352-9058 FAX
[log in to unmask]
Volunteers who have experience in working with deaf and hard of hearing
people and have training in First Aid, CPR, CERT, and other rescue
efforts should contact one of the two regional centers to offer their
services. The CEPIN website also has a list of statewide resources
available at www.tdi-online.org/tdi/emergencypreparedness/cepin.htm for
the areas affected by the hurricane.
If you need assistance in recovering from the disaster, contact the
nearest Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):
www.fema.gov
1-800-462-7585 TTY
1-800-621-FEMA (3362) Voice
For a list of organizations to donate money to:
www.fema.gov/press/2005/katrinadonations.shtm
(Please note that FEMA and other organizations are asking for monetary
donations, not donations in the form of food, clothes or other goods).
If you need food, clothing, shelter or medicine, contact the American
Red Cross:
www.redcross.org
If you need to find your family members, go to the American Red Cross
FamilyLinks website at:
www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina
If you receive social security benefits, Social Security Administration
is working to ensure that individuals continue to receive their
retirement or disability checks. More information is at:
www.socialsecurity.gov/emergency/
1-800-325-0778 TTY
1-800-772-1213 Voice
Its critical that we have this information on hand for victims, and that
people are aware of these resources, said Jim House, CEPIN Project
National Coordinator. The CEPIN Project will continue to be very
supportive, and to monitor the recovery activities and provide assistance
as needed. CEPIN will be adding information to its website and sending
out information as news develops, and we encourage people to check our
website for updates.
About the CEPIN Project: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded
TDI nearly $1.5 million for the two-year CEPIN Project, which focuses on
developing model community education programs for deaf and hard of
hearing consumers about emergency preparedness. For more information
about the CEPIN Project, please visit
www.tdi-online.org/tdi/emergencypreparedness/cepin.htm.
About TDI: TDI is a non-profit advocacy organization that promotes equal
access to telecommunications and media for individuals who are deaf, late
deafened, hard-of-hearing or deaf-blind. Since 1968, TDI has successfully
advocated for federal legislation such as the Telecommunications Act of
1996, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Television Decoder
Circuitry Act, both of 1990, as well as other legislation and policies
mandating greater access to wireless technology, captioning as well as
other telecommunication and media technologies. Since its inception, TDI
has been promoting access to 9-1-1 centers and other public safety
answering points, and is now working to ensure full access to information
during natural or manmade disasters and other types of emergencies. TDI
publishes annually, a National Directory & Resource Guide, commonly known
as The Blue Book, a popular resource book for people with hearing loss,
as well as the GA-SK quarterly news magazine. For more information about
TDI, visit www.tdi-online.org.
# # #
For more information about the CEPIN Project at TDI, contact:
--
Jim House
National CEPIN Coordinator
Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network
TDI
8630 Fenton Street, Suite 604
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3822
[log in to unmask]
www.tdi-online.org/tdi/resources.emergency.asp
TTY or VP: 301-589-3006
AIM: JimHouseCEPIN
Fax: 301-589-3797
Voice: 301-589-3786
Step in with CEPIN - Your life may depend on it.
# # #
--
DISCLAIMER: The JFA Listserv is designed to share
information of interest to people with disabilities and
promote dialogue in the disability community. Information
circulated does not necessarily express the views of AAPD.
The JFA Listserv is non-partisan.
JOIN AAPD! There's strength in numbers! Be a part of a
national coalition of people with disabilities and join
AAPD today. http://www.aapd-dc.org
JFA ARCHIVES. All JFA postings from 1995 to present are
available at:
http://www.aapd-dc.org/JFA/JFAabout.html
NOTE: Some Internet Providers (including AOL, Earthlink and
Juno) may see JFA postings as spam because of the large
volume of JFA mail recipients and fail to deliver the
posting. If this happens, the JFA system may automatically
unsubscribe some email addresses. Should you stop receiving
JFA Alerts, please subscribe to JFA again as per the
instructions at
http://www.aapd-dc.org/JFA/JFAsubscribing.html
You may also need to contact your service provider to find
out how to prevent JFA postings from being recognized as
spam.
PLEASE EMPTY YOUR EMAIL INBOX REGULARLY. JFA automatically
deletes subscribers that are over their message quota. How
If you stop using an account please unsubscribe that old
account.
With hundreds of inbound emails and thousands of outbound
emails daily, JFA can not respond to every message.
We thank you for your understanding and continued
outstanding advocacy!
Fred Fay, Moderator
JUSTICE FOR ALL -- A Service of the
American Association of People with Disabilities
http://www.aapd-dc.org/JFA/JFAabout.html
|
