Introduction

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has estimated that between 1987 and 2007, about 26 million older people were affected each year by natural disasters alone and that this figure could more than double by 2050 due to the rapidly changing demographics of ageing. Correspondingly, a recent report by Baylor College of Medicine and the American Medical Association (Recommendations for Best Practices in the Management of Elderly Disaster Victims) has computed that 74% of the approximately 1,200 people who died as a result of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans were over 60 years old and 50% were over age 75. The elderly comprised only 11.7% of the total population.

Furthermore, the February 2006 United Nations Roundtable (Elderly Sidelined in Recovery Efforts) noted that thousands of elderly people were neglected in the initial aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami because of their inability to compete with younger survivors for scarce resources and because they were largely excluded from international aid efforts. The Roundtable also observed that almost 14% of the 300,000 deaths, and nearly 93% of the 1.5 million displaced persons in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, the four hardest-hit countries, were over 60 years old.

People with disabilities (physical, medical, sensory or cognitive) are equally at risk of utter neglect during and after disasters. The Australian Agency for International Development estimates that 650 million people across the world have a disability and about 80 per cent of the population with a disability live in developing countries. The Asia Pacific region is home to two-thirds of this population. Similarly, according to the United States Census of 2000, nearly one person in five of Americans ages 5 and older in the civilian non-institutionalized population is disabled. The United States’ National Organization on Disability also remarks that 54 million American children, women, and men who have disabilities are among the most vulnerable in disasters. Furthermore, the Secretariat of the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities (SADPD) has calculated that there are about 60 million disabled people in Africa due to malnutrition and diseases, environmental hazards, natural disasters, traffic and industrial accidents, civil conflict and war.

Conference objectives

There is currently an abundance of documents, plans and policies addressing the needs of the elderly and people with disabilities in the preparedness phase of disaster. Moreover, there have been countless conferences which have examined the challenges that the elderly and people with disabilities face in emergency planning and response.

However, 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 place of the elderly and disabled people in local, regional and national post-disaster reconstruction policies, plans and programs
• 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, 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 disaster
• The participation of children with disabilities in the development and execution of post-disaster plans and programs

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

Conference participants – who should attend

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. These professionals would include disability community leaders; gerontologists; officials of government, non-governmental, international and grassroots agencies; disaster preparedness professionals; crisis managers; emergency response workers and managers; employees of humanitarian relief organizations; academics and students; leaders of industry and the private sector; physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, geriatric rehabilitation professionals; architects; health care workers; law enforcement officers; engineers; environmental risk managers; epidemiologists; hazard experts; transport providers; community leaders, organizers, experts, attorneys, and advocates.

International Student Competition

A major component of the event is an international student essay competition on the topic of the conference, Rebuilding sustainable communities with the elderly and disabled people after disasters. The aim of the contest is to persuade college and university students to reflect on, and examine, the challenges that the elderly and the disabled face during and after disasters in their own local and cultural contexts.

The 50 winning essays will be published as a CRSCAD monograph and the top 20 winners will be invited to participate in the conference and publicly honored. For further information, please click on http://www.rebuilding.umb.edu/rscepdcompetition or contact Jennifer Brunson at crscad@umb.edu. The length of the essay should be approximately 3,000 words and the extended deadline for submission is January 30. 2010. The winning essays will be announced on May 1, 2010.

Registration Information

The registration fee is USD $300.00 (currency conversion) and covers only the conference proceedings, lunch on each conference day, and coffee. Scholarships may be available to University of Massachusetts Boston students.  Click here to fill out registration form.

Conference format
Plenary sessions
Keynote speakers
Presentations (Paper, PowerPoint, etc.)
Panel sessions
Country and international case studies

Conference location

Rebuilding Sustainable Communities for the elderly and people with disabilities after Disasters will be held at the University of Massachusetts Boston Campus Center. (directions)

Supporting the Conference

Sponsorships and donations are welcome and will be gratefully recognized. Benefits include complimentary full conference registrations, recognition on Conference Program and Table-top Exhibit Space.  To view a list of our current Sponsors and Co-Sponsors, please visit this webpage;  http://www.rebuilding.umb.edu/rscepdcosponsorship.htm.  If you wish to support this conference, please contact fill out our Co-Sponsorship Invitation and either email it or mail it to Jennifer Brunson.

For further information, please contact:
Jennifer Brunson
Research Assistant
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-mails: crscad@umb.edu