JUNE 2, 2017--On May 25, the OR&R Diversity Committee hosted speakers from NOAA's Weather-Ready Nation and the Hearing, Speech, and Deaf Center to discuss natural disaster safety for individuals with disabilities.

As part of its monthly event series, the OR&R Diversity Committee invited these two unique perspectives to discuss how we can plan for and prepare for natural disasters as inclusively as possible. Guest speaker Doug Hilderbrand, the Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador Lead for the National Weather Service Headquarters, shared how Weather-Ready Nation is helping citizens of all backgrounds and abilities prepare for natural disasters. Guest speaker Jim House, a Communication Specialist at the Hearing, Speech & Deaf Center in Seattle, shared information about how offices currently engage with vulnerable populations as they prepare for natural disasters. He also offered best practices for communicating with disabled individuals, noting that many of these practices are also helpful to the general population. Slides from the event are available on the May 2017 Diversity Event page of the OR&R Intranet (password protected).

Don't miss the next OR&R Diversity Event on June 20, where we'll discuss sleep health and what you can do to meet your own unique sleep needs!

For questions or suggestions for future events, contact the OR&R Diversity Committee at orr.diversity@noaa.gov.

Go back to OR&R Weekly Report.