Hurricane Katrina: Picking Up The Pieces  Tags: political_science_public_admin history law_government_documents  

Individuals with disabilities have special needs during times of crisis. Many disabled survivors and evacuees of Hurricane Katrina were forced to leave behind wheelchairs, service dogs, medications, and other adaptive aids and medical supplies necessary for daily living. The following websites give information on relief available to these individuals and information on how to help them through this difficult period.

Find or Provide Accessible Housing for People With Disabilities:
http://www.katrinadisability.info/

Share your accessible home or find an accessible home. Includes informative links about various disabilities, accommodations, and relevant agencies.

National Council on Disability on Hurricane Katrina Affected Areas:
http://www.jfanow.org/jfanow/index.php?mode=A&id=2513;&sort=D

Informative page on the needs of persons with disabilities who had to evacuate areas hit by hurricane Katrina. Many persons with disabilities had to leave behind wheelchairs, service dogs, canes, medications and other basic necessities for their daily living.

Social Security Information for People Affected by Hurricane Katrina
http://www.ssa.gov/emergency/

The Social Security Administration is doing everything it can to ensure that monthly payments get to beneficiaries affected by Hurricane Katrina and that applications for benefits will continue to be processed. Includes links to information on closures of SSA offices and openings in temporary locations, how to apply for aid, and information for SSA employees.

Replacing Your Vital Documents
http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/PublicSafety/Hurricane_Katrina_Recovery/Vital_Docs.shtml

Links to resources to replace lost or stolen vital documents such as change of address, bank records, birth/marriage/death certificates, damaged money, documents restoration, drivers licenses and vehicle registration, federal civilian personnel records, immigration documents, Louisiana vital records and IDs, medical information forms, Medicaid replacement cards, military records, passports, savings bonds recovery, social security cards, tax returns.

Food Stamps for Evacuees:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/

The Food and Nutrition Service, run by the US Department of Agriculture, has taken several actions to expedite and facilitate Food Stamp enrollment and receipt for evacuees of Hurricane Katrina in their destination states. See links in the Newsroom section at the upper right of the page.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Hurricane Katrina Information
http://www1.va.gov/opa/katrina/

Officials are finalizing procedures for veterans from the hurricane area to receive benefits checks and prescription drugs, and to ensure that VA employees continue to be paid. Mobile clinics are now open in South Mississippi and Louisiana to provide medical treatment to veterans displaced by Hurricane Katrina. For more information about the mobile clinics, veterans can call 1-800-949-1009 ext. 6004. Veterans currently enrolled in a standing VA clinic that is operational should continue to seek treatment at that clinic. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has successfully evacuated the most critically ill patients from the VA medical center in New Orleans. VA officials are establishing procedures for family members to locate inpatients evacuated from the affected facilities.

Resources for Displaced Cancer Patients, Their Families and Physicians
http://www.cancer.gov/katrina

From the National Cancer Institute, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Includes contact information, links on finding cancer treatment, finding alternative sites for NCI trials, and information for the medical research community.

ILRU Hurricane Katrina Recovery Resources:
http://www.ilru.org/

The ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) program is a national center for information, training, research, and technical assistance in independent living. Their website provides phone numbers and links to websites for relief organizations, updates on relief available for persons with disabilities, and exchange message boards to post needs and offers.

Education Rights of Displaced and Homeless Children:
http://www.copaa.org/news/hurricane.html

Although media reports have suggested that schools across the country are welcoming such children, some parents may encounter problems. The lack of identity papers, immunization documents, school records, and lack of proof of prior residency in the Gulf Coast area may cause some school districts to resist admitting children. The lack of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan for children may also cause some delays in admission or provision of appropriate services. This memo summarizes basic education rights of all "homeless" children, and also reviews rights of children with disabilities. Web sites at the end of the memo offer more detailed information.

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped:
1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323)
http://www.loc.gov/nls/eligible.html

The Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), which provides adults and eligible students, including students with a medically certified reading disability, asks hosts of eligible individuals to call or go to their website for enrollment information and a directory of cooperating local libraries participating in the Talking Books program.

The Civil Rights of Students with Hidden Disabilities Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/hq5269.html

If you are a student with a hidden disability or would like to know more about how students with hidden disabilities are protected against discrimination by Federal law, this pamphlet is for you. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects the rights of persons with handicaps in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance. Section 504 protects the rights not only of individuals with visible disabilities but also those with disabilities that may not be apparent.

Learning Disabilities Association Updates
http://wwww.ldaamerica.org/legislative/nfw/05september.asp

Includes links to news items with information for students K-12 and post-secondary who are from areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Katrina and Services to Students With LD:
http://www.ld.org/Katrina/

States are working together to provide all necessary education services to displaced students; however some parents may encounter problems when trying to re-establish special education supports and services for their child. NCLD is committed to helping you learn more about basic education rights of students affected by Katrina, offer tips so you can speak up for your own child or assist family or friends in re-establishing the Individualized Education Program (IEP), and provide a list of additional resources to ensure students with LD gain access to special education services in their new schools.

Association on Higher Education and Disability, SOS: Save Our Students:
http://www.ahead.org/resources/katrina/sos.htm

This information has been developed to provide support to disability service providers in higher education who are likely to be the first stop on the long road to educational recovery for students with disabilities displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The information and suggestions you read here have been contributed by active members of the DSS community in hopes of assisting colleagues in the task of supporting these unfortunate campus newcomers.