Monday, March 9, 2009

Health & Safety for persons with disabilities and their parents

Health & Safety are imperative issues for persons with disabilities and their parents/guardians. Safety protocol is vital to the survival of many persons with disabilities. I was surprised to find neglect with New York’s Outstanding Transport Inc. bus service. This is an actual excerpt from their web site: “OTI is New York City's leader in meeting the transportation needs for the elderly and for handicapped adults. While some companies use old school buses, OTI maintains a high quality fleet of specialized vehicles suitable for their special-needs clients. OTI's reputation for above and beyond, personalized care for these clients has positioned them as the only company to consider in New York City for transportation of handicapped adults and elderly individuals.” This first link http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/education/91602/bus-matron-faces-charges-of-endangering-disabled-student/Default.aspx is a video of a bus matron from OTI facing felony charges for endangering the life of a student diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The driver was responsible for clearing the bus but chose to rush off and leave the student onboard. The student was found 19 hours later and suffered from hypothermia.
This next link http://www.abledata.com/abledata_docs/DisabledTransport-Safety.htm, Public Transportation, Mobility Aids and Passenger Safety provides topic introduction to the proper protocol for persons with disabilities and/or public transportation operators using or planning to use public transport vehicles. Vehicles considered for transporting people and mobility equipment are vans, buses and trains. This paper is very informative and can validate or contradict transportation expectations of persons with disabilities and their parents.
The third link http://www.disabled-world.com/health/, Disabled World-A Disability & Senior Information Community provides the following information on health and support issues from cancer to sleep disorders for persons with disabilities:
  • Services
  • Assessments
  • Costs
  • Mental health
  • Male and female health issues and diseases
  • Disability health promotion
  • Wellness initiatives

This is a valued site because they focus on delivering real improvements for persons with disabilities.

Health and safety for disabled people and their employers http://www.hse.gov.uk/disability/largeprint.pdf has
  • Guidance for disabled people and employers
  • Advice for people with disabilities and employers
  • The law
  • How to treat people with disabilities fairly/avoid discrimination

It provides links to information and financial grants to help businesses make workplace adjustments that enable persons with disabilities to enter and stay in the workplace. This information is useful to employers, persons with disabilities, and their parents.

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2 comments:

  1. Becki10 March, 2009 23:07

    The New York story of the individual with disabilities being left on the transportation bus is disgusting. I cannot fathom how someone could do such a thing. The sites that you have chosen for this subject are very informative. The transportation safety site had great information to aid drivers in providing a safe ride to and from destinations. It also could be beneficial to individuals with disabilities by providing them rules and guidelines to follow and better prepare for their journeys.

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  2. Amanda25 March, 2009 11:07

    Thunder,
    Thank you for providing some real life examples of safety gone wrong and what we can do to both improve and make right again. It is through these heart-wrenching stories that call attention to the need and priority of things like this. Also, the Safety First link is helpful to let individuals with disabilities know what is out there an how to obtain services to keep them safe and excel at their goals.
    Thanks! Amanda Ganyo :)

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