Who needs to be at the table? Building Inclusive & Disaster Resilient Communities (BIDRC) Project in Southern Downs
Tracks
Prince Room | In-Person & Virtual via OnAIR
| Monday, July 22, 2024 |
| 11:35 AM - 12:35 PM |
Overview
Helen Styles, Michelle Moss, Michelle McNeice & James Wong, Christof Psarros
Details
Key Presentation Learnings:
1. Nothing about us without us –people with disability need to be included in disaster management conversations that affect them.
2. The right mix – people with disability, service providers, and local disaster management need to all be at the table together address the systemic barriers that can increase disaster risk for people with disability.
3. Working and Learning together – Stakeholders have grown together in their knowledge and understanding of disability inclusive disaster risk reduction.
Speaker
Michelle McNeice
Emergency Management Coordinator
Queensland Police Services, Emergency Management and Coordination Command
Who needs to be at the table? Building Inclusive & Disaster Resilient Communities (BIDRC) Project in Southern Downs
Biography
Michelle has worked in the Queensland disaster management sector for the past 15 years. As a Queensland Police Service, Emergency Management Coordinator, Michelle has responsibility for coordinating the implementation of initiatives to enhance the resilience of local communities and agencies. Michelle achieves this through the provision of disaster management training, advice and support. Implementing a risk management approach and utilising the Queensland Disaster Management Training Framework to build capability and capacity across the Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery phases of disaster management.
Michelle Moss
Cheif Executive Officer
Queenslanders with Disability Network
Who needs to be at the table? Building Inclusive & Disaster Resilient Communities (BIDRC) Project in Southern Downs
Biography
Michelle has worked in the human services sectors for almost 30 years, across disability, health, and women’s services including sexual assault and domestic violence services. Michelle has worked in direct support work, counselling, behaviour support, consumer and community engagement, and social policy. Michelle is a strong advocate with a commitment to the voice of people with disability who use services driving and influencing public policy and being active players in the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of services. Michelle has experience of working across the key advocate areas of transport, housing and health that impact people with disability in Queensland.
Christof Psarros
DIDRR Peer Leader, Member of Higher Risk Subgroup to Southern Downs LDMG
Queenslanders with Disability Network
Who needs to be at the table? Building Inclusive & Disaster Resilient Communities (BIDRC) Project in Southern Downs
Abstract
The Building Inclusive & Disaster Resilient Communities (BIDRC) project sought to equip and inspire communities across five Queensland regions to undertake Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) actions. One of those was Southern Downs region, which had experienced three severe weather-related disaster events in four years.
DIDRR actions include what individuals, organisations, and communities do to help ensure people with disability stay safe and well in disaster.
People with disability need to involve other people in conversations that can help them access the information, support, service they need to plan and prepare. A feature of the Project has been multistakeholder conversations that bring together people with disability, service providers, and local disaster management to help people with disability to access those resources they need and advocate for change where it is needed.
Southern downs locals have gathered in community forums and in a Local Action Group, to talk about the barriers and explore the opportunities for inclusive disaster risk reduction. The value of keeping this conversation on the agenda has been recognised, with the local council recommending the formation of a Subgroup to the Local Disaster Management Group to do just that.
This panel of Project participants includes some of those key stakeholders whose involvement has ensured communities had the right people at the table to keep that conversation going. Importantly, the inclusion of a person with disability at the table has ensured the voice of lived experience is at that table.
DIDRR actions include what individuals, organisations, and communities do to help ensure people with disability stay safe and well in disaster.
People with disability need to involve other people in conversations that can help them access the information, support, service they need to plan and prepare. A feature of the Project has been multistakeholder conversations that bring together people with disability, service providers, and local disaster management to help people with disability to access those resources they need and advocate for change where it is needed.
Southern downs locals have gathered in community forums and in a Local Action Group, to talk about the barriers and explore the opportunities for inclusive disaster risk reduction. The value of keeping this conversation on the agenda has been recognised, with the local council recommending the formation of a Subgroup to the Local Disaster Management Group to do just that.
This panel of Project participants includes some of those key stakeholders whose involvement has ensured communities had the right people at the table to keep that conversation going. Importantly, the inclusion of a person with disability at the table has ensured the voice of lived experience is at that table.
Biography
Christof is a person with disability who has become a local champion for Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) in the Southern Downs region. He is a member of the Higher Needs sub-group of the Southern Downs Regional Local Disaster Management Group. Christof has worked as a teacher with teacher with Education Queensland, as disability support workers, a Queensland Rural Fire Service volunteer, and is a Justice of the Peace. He is a Disability Support Pension and NDIS participant receiving support from Carbal Support Services for his bipolar disorder. Christof is a cat lover and has three cats at home.
Mr James Wong
Community Recovery & Resilience
Southern Downs Regional Council
Who needs to be at the table? Building Inclusive & Disaster Resilient Communities (BIDRC) Project in Southern Downs
Abstract
The Building Inclusive & Disaster Resilient Communities (BIDRC) project sought to equip and inspire communities across five Queensland regions to undertake Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) actions. One of those was Southern Downs region, which had experienced three severe weather-related disaster events in four years.
DIDRR actions include what individuals, organisations, and communities do to help ensure people with disability stay safe and well in disaster.
People with disability need to involve other people in conversations that can help them access the information, support, service they need to plan and prepare. A feature of the Project has been multistakeholder conversations that bring together people with disability, service providers, and local disaster management to help people with disability to access those resources they need and advocate for change where it is needed.
Southern downs locals have gathered in community forums and in a Local Action Group, to talk about the barriers and explore the opportunities for inclusive disaster risk reduction. The value of keeping this conversation on the agenda has been recognised, with the local council recommending the formation of a Subgroup to the Local Disaster Management Group to do just that.
This panel of Project participants includes some of those key stakeholders whose involvement has ensured communities had the right people at the table to keep that conversation going. Importantly, the inclusion of a person with disability at the table has ensured the voice of lived experience is at that table.
DIDRR actions include what individuals, organisations, and communities do to help ensure people with disability stay safe and well in disaster.
People with disability need to involve other people in conversations that can help them access the information, support, service they need to plan and prepare. A feature of the Project has been multistakeholder conversations that bring together people with disability, service providers, and local disaster management to help people with disability to access those resources they need and advocate for change where it is needed.
Southern downs locals have gathered in community forums and in a Local Action Group, to talk about the barriers and explore the opportunities for inclusive disaster risk reduction. The value of keeping this conversation on the agenda has been recognised, with the local council recommending the formation of a Subgroup to the Local Disaster Management Group to do just that.
This panel of Project participants includes some of those key stakeholders whose involvement has ensured communities had the right people at the table to keep that conversation going. Importantly, the inclusion of a person with disability at the table has ensured the voice of lived experience is at that table.
Biography
James is the Community Recovery and Resilience Officer for Queensland’s Southern Downs, focusing on the impacts of the Black Summer bushfires, South Qld flooding, and, most recently, the Southern Qld bushfires. He chairs the local human and social recovery group and a higher-risk sub-group of the local disaster management group.
James’ programs focus on vulnerable populations and have encompassed CALD communities, children, disability-inclusion, rural and isolated communities, and a range of psychosocial and suicide prevention measures, to name a few.
He holds master’s degrees in public health and business administration and has an adjunct appointment with James Cook University.
Amy Anderson
Queenslanders With Disability Network
Who needs to be at the table? Building Inclusive & Disaster Resilient Communities (BIDRC) Project in Southern Downs
Abstract
The Building Inclusive & Disaster Resilient Communities (BIDRC) project sought to equip and inspire communities across five Queensland regions to undertake Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) actions. One of those was Southern Downs region, which had experienced three severe weather-related disaster events in four years.
DIDRR actions include what individuals, organisations, and communities do to help ensure people with disability stay safe and well in disaster.
People with disability need to involve other people in conversations that can help them access the information, support, service they need to plan and prepare. A feature of the Project has been multistakeholder conversations that bring together people with disability, service providers, and local disaster management to help people with disability to access those resources they need and advocate for change where it is needed.
Southern downs locals have gathered in community forums and in a Local Action Group, to talk about the barriers and explore the opportunities for inclusive disaster risk reduction. The value of keeping this conversation on the agenda has been recognised, with the local council recommending the formation of a Subgroup to the Local Disaster Management Group to do just that.
This panel of Project participants includes some of those key stakeholders whose involvement has ensured communities had the right people at the table to keep that conversation going. Importantly, the inclusion of a person with disability at the table has ensured the voice of lived experience is at that table.
• Michelle Moss, CEO, Queenslanders with Disaster Network (QDN)
• Christof Psarros, P-CEP Peer Leader, QDN
• James Wong, Community Recovery and Resilience Officer, Southern Downs Regional Council
• Michelle McNeice, Emergency Management Coordinator, Queensland Police Service
• Disability service provider (TBC)
Hosted by Helen Styles
DIDRR actions include what individuals, organisations, and communities do to help ensure people with disability stay safe and well in disaster.
People with disability need to involve other people in conversations that can help them access the information, support, service they need to plan and prepare. A feature of the Project has been multistakeholder conversations that bring together people with disability, service providers, and local disaster management to help people with disability to access those resources they need and advocate for change where it is needed.
Southern downs locals have gathered in community forums and in a Local Action Group, to talk about the barriers and explore the opportunities for inclusive disaster risk reduction. The value of keeping this conversation on the agenda has been recognised, with the local council recommending the formation of a Subgroup to the Local Disaster Management Group to do just that.
This panel of Project participants includes some of those key stakeholders whose involvement has ensured communities had the right people at the table to keep that conversation going. Importantly, the inclusion of a person with disability at the table has ensured the voice of lived experience is at that table.
• Michelle Moss, CEO, Queenslanders with Disaster Network (QDN)
• Christof Psarros, P-CEP Peer Leader, QDN
• James Wong, Community Recovery and Resilience Officer, Southern Downs Regional Council
• Michelle McNeice, Emergency Management Coordinator, Queensland Police Service
• Disability service provider (TBC)
Hosted by Helen Styles
Biography
Helen has worked in communities for over twenty years in disaster resilience and recovery, community development, disability, homelessness, and philanthropy. She has worked in community organisations, local government, philanthropic foundations, university research, and as a not-for-profit strategy and program development consultant. Helen’s passion is working with people to catalyse change in their communities
