The Technological Assistance Institute for Intellectual Disability, Inc. proposes to develop a product line of public health and emergency preparedness education programs to meet the needs of people with disabilities, and the institutions and organizations that serve them. The Live Smart Live Safe (LSLS) programs will address material, behavioral, and emotional preparedness for public health, natural, and man-made disasters. The final result of this work will be the LSLS programs, consisting of CD-ROM, DVD, and pictorial-based """"""""911 Notebook"""""""" (911 Notes), designed for the unique learning needs of people with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). The programs will be disseminated through public health and social service, public and private education institutions, and advocacy and support service agencies and families that assist youth and adults with disabilities as they move toward full inclusion and independence in communities across the Nation. Given the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) focus on biological and behavioral aspects of critical health problems that confront the Nation, this application addresses NINR priorities including a) improving health-related quality of life by preventing or delaying disease, b) establishing better approaches to promote health and prevent disease, b) promote interventions to eliminate health disparities, and c) to develop technologies to assist individuals in reducing environmental exposures (e.g., chemical and viral agents). Phase II of this application will expand the Phase I prototype program, and develop and evaluate the remaining three interactive CD-ROM computer-based training programs that address public health emergencies, natural, and man-made disasters including terrorism. Along with the CD-ROM programs, four companion DVD programs will be developed as well as a pictorial-based 911 Notes to accompany and support information conveyed via CD-ROM. We will work with one advisory panel of people with ID and conduct 30 telephone interviews with experts in the areas of public health and emergency preparedness to shape content and message presentation. We will evaluate the Phase II programs with 80 individuals with mild ID throughout the State of Oregon employing a pretest, posttest, and follow-up evaluation.
Most Americans rely on television, written materials, and the Internet to learn about, and prepare for potential emergency situations. Although people with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) such as mild, or moderate mental retardation often watch television, most written materials, guidelines, and web-based resources that provide information about public health, natural, and man-made disasters rely heavily on text, and are inaccessible to people with mild or moderate ID. People with ID, many of whom are independent and live on their own do not have access to this potentially life-saving information.
