Children With Disabilities More Vulnerable To Disasters
With National Preparedness Month in full swing, a research paper co-authored by a Texas A&M University professor suggests that children — particularly children with disabilities — are especially vulnerable to the effects of disasters.
The review that appears in the journal Child Development is co-authored by Laura Stough of Texas A&M and Lori Peek of Colorado State University. Stough is an associate professor of the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M, as well as interdisciplinary education director at the Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, where she also conducts research in special education, disability studies and disaster.
“Children with mobility-related disabilities may be placed even more physically at-risk during disasters if they are unable to evacuate in a timely manner,” Stough says. “Disasters can be particularly hazardous for children with medical disabilities who rely on electricity for their medical supports or who need medical care while they are sheltering away from home,”
In addition, children with intellectual disabilities might not understand or might have difficulty following evacuation and sheltering instructions.
Read more here: Texas A&M News & Information Services » Blog Archive » Children With Disabilities More Vulnerable To Disasters.
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About The Author
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts is founder of Support for Special Needs and has been a regular contributor since its inception in May 2010. A mom to two kids with special needs, she didn't want other parents to feel what is the often isolating world of raising a child (or two!) with disabilities. Her kids had kidney transplants at the age of eight and will need liver transplants in the future as a result of ARPKD/CHF. They both have vision disorders and learning disabilities.