♿ IMSPARK: Preparedness That Includes Everyone ♿

 ♿ Imagine... Preparedness That Includes Everyone ♿

💡 Imagined Endstate:

A Pacific region where every emergency plan, drill, and response effort is designed with—and not just for—people with disabilities, ensuring that no one is left behind when disaster strikes.

📚 Source: 

Oregon Health & Science University – University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/emergency-preparedness-people-disabilities

💥 What’s the Big Deal:

Emergencies don’t discriminate—but unprepared systems do. ♿ In disaster-prone regions like the Pacific, people with disabilities face disproportionate risks—from inaccessible evacuation routes and shelters, to a lack of communication tools that accommodate sensory or cognitive differences🌋.

The OHSU UCEDD resource underscores that inclusion must be embedded at every level of emergency preparedness🌊—not as an afterthought, but as a core design principle. 🛟 This includes developing visual guides, communication boards, and personalized emergency plans, while also training responders in inclusive protocols.

For PI-SIDS, where geography already limits rapid response and resources, the exclusion of people with disabilities from planning can turn natural disasters🌪️ into human rights crises. 🧭 Preparedness isn’t only about infrastructure—it’s about trust, relationships, and recognizing every person’s right to safety and dignity🤝. 

True resilience means everyone gets out—and everyone gets back up. Building inclusive systems now ensures we never have to ask whose life mattered most when the 🔔 sirens fade. 

#DisabilityAdvocacy, #InclusivePreparedness,#ResilienceForAll,#PacificEquity, #EmergencyInclusion, #AccessibleSafety, #IMSPARK, #UCEDD,