Easter Seals finds new challenge in wake of terrorist attacks. (Public Education).

The tragic reality that some people with disabilities were unable to escape the World Trade Center after the September 11 terrorist attacks has galvanized Easter Seals, Chicago, into undertaking a new challenge: Increase awareness of the need for changes in emergency evacuation planning. After months of research, countless meetings with other organizations (e.g., the Building Owners and Managers Association) as well as government and safety officials, Easter Seals has crafted a Web-based informational program that seeks to increase awareness of how to plan for emergency evacuations of the estimated 13 million American workers with disabilities.

The organization's campaign--s.a.f.e.t.y. first: working together for safer communities--provides information on such issues as the different types of mobility impairments; carry techniques; how to move a wheelchair when descending stairs; accessibility resources; and model building codes. A checklist of 10 key considerations is designed to help workplaces and people with disabilities begin the emergency planning process--a process that should be reviewed with local fire officials.

Acknowledging the complexity of an issue in which solutions are neither simple nor universal, given the wide range of disabilities and workplace situations, James E. Williams, Jr., Easter Seals' president and chief executive officer, says "the ultimate goal is to make sure that these are materials that everybody has in their hands. It's critical that people understand that [evacuating people with disabilities] is not an impossible situation--it's very doable, but each one of us has the responsibility to make sure it gets done. That's why we came up with the program's tag line--'working together for safer communities.' The big issue here is building a sense of community wherever you are so that people are taking care of each other."

Easter Seals has sent letters to the human resource directors of the top Fortune 500 companies, asking them to be aware of the program and get the information into their own communication vehicles. The organization also developed an audio news release and sent a print news release to 20,000 newspapers around the country, and the group continues to work with its 93 affiliates in spreading the word about s.a.f.e.t.y. first.

As ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT went to press, celebrity public service announcements from the three major television networks were being taped, but it was too soon for Easter Seals to disclose details of the TV spots.

"We have a basic road map [of what needs to be done to improve evacuation procedures], but we don't have the final destination," notes Sara Brewster, Easter Seals' vice president of marketing and communications. The organization will continue to research the issue and work with interested parties, including the Chicago Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities. At some point, Easter Seals hopes to discuss "what we've learned about evacuation, how it works, and what works best with a bipartisan congressional working group on the Americans With Disabilities Act," adds Brewster, "so if there is any kind of revamp of ADA rules and regulations and this gets put in, we'll have some recommendations that we know are worthwhile."

For more information on s.a.f.e.t.y. first, visit www.easter-seals.org/ntl_safety first or call toll free 866-BE-SAFE-5.