Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Connections

Dialogue on Disability: Disaster preparedness often excludes people with disabilities; how do we prevent tragedies?

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
WXXI News

The LA wildfires have renewed conversations about disaster preparedness, particularly when it comes to people with disabilities.

Conservative talk show host Charlie Kirk recently called for ASL interpretation to be removed from televised broadcasts about emergency situations, saying they are “distracting.” The comments led to significant backlash.

Experts in inclusive disaster preparedness say people with disabilities are often excluded from emergency planning, leading to tragic results. This hour, we talk with our guests about how to improve policies, plans, and training efforts so disaster preparedness includes everyone.

Our guests:

  • Gerard Buckley, Ed.D., president of NTID and vice president and dean at RIT
  • David Scott, chief diversity officer for Monroe County
  • Angeline Hamele, accessibility consultant and designer
  • Njoki Mwarumba, Ph.D., assistant professor of emergency management in the Department of Social Science and Public Affairs at Empire State University

*Notes: To read a transcript of this episode, click here.
To request a transcript of any episode of Connections, please use this form.

This story is part of Dialogue on Disability Week, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies, in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series.

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson" and is also the office administrator for radio, news and technology and operations. She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.