The Traveling Wheelchair

 
An International Conference On

Rebuilding Sustainable Communities
with the Elderly and Disabled
People after Disasters

July 12-15, 2010

An event of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies
Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters
at the University of Massachusetts Boston

Conference Objectives

While many conferences have examined challenges that the elderly and people with disabilities face in emergencies, no significant systematic post-disasters study has been undertaken with a focus on the long-term, sustainable community recovery and rebuilding needs of this population.

The conference will, therefore, address the following main issues:

• The status of the elderly and disabled people in various communities after disasters and the continuing need for superior research and appropriate data
• The role and input of the elderly and disabled people in post-disaster reconstruction planning and implementation processes
• The roles of governments, institutions of higher education, the private sector, and non-governmental and community-based organizations in post-disaster reconstruction
• The promotion of human dignity in the creation of sustainable environments that empower the elderly and disabled people in the aftermath of disasters
• Integration of the elderly and disabled people into the larger community after disasters
• The promotion of the human rights of disabled people through full participation, equalization of opportunity, and development
• The role of women with disabilities in the formulation and implementation of reconstruction policies after disasters
• The participation of children with disabilities in the development and execution of post-disaster plans and programs

This conference will bring together specialists and stakeholders from around the globe to share information and experiences and to develop strategies around some of the core issues concerning the place of the elderly and disabled people in local, regional, national and international post-disaster reconstruction policies, plans and programs.

The conference will seek to contribute to, and recommend, future policy formulation and implementation processes for local, regional, and national governments, as well as multilateral agencies and grass-roots organizations.

For disability-related accommodations, including dietary accommodations, please go to www.ada.umb.edu.

For further information please go to www.rebuilding.umb.edu/rscepd or contact:

Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters (CRSCAD)
McCormack Hall, 3rd floor, Room 612
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125-3393
Telephone: 617-287-7116
E-mail: crscad@umb.edu
Website: www.rebuilding.umb.edu