Events

1:00pm-2:00pm

PANEL: “When Disaster Strikes: Lessons Learned from Disability Advocates Who Experienced Weather Emergencies”

Moderator: Alyssa Galea, Esq. – Staff Attorney, Disability Rights New York

Alyssa Galea is a Staff Attorney at Disability Rights New York serving the PADD Program (Protection & Advocacy for People with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities.

Panelists:

Stephanie Duke, Esq.: Staff Attorney, Disability Rights Texas

Stephanie Duke is an attorney and Disaster Resilience Coordinator at Disability Rights Texas (DRTx). DRTx is the Protection & Advocacy agency for Texas and operates to ensure that the rights of Texans’ with disabilities are upheld by affording equitable opportunities across all societal domains. Ms. Duke focuses on mitigating barriers that disaster survivors with disabilities face in response and recovery programs, services and activities by affording access to justice and remedying discriminatory practices. Ms. Duke works to build resiliency for the disability community by advocating for inclusive planning processes with local and state entities, and educates the community about individual preparedness and resources to promote independence and autonomy. Ms. Duke also addresses systemic barriers in federal and state disaster and emergency programs to ensure meaningful access to all disaster survivors via legal advocacy and policy reform. Ms. Duke is an Equal Justice Works Disaster Fellow alumni; Vice-Director of the American Bar Associations, Young Lawyers Division, Disaster Legal Services Team; serves on the Board of Directors for Texas Volunteer Organization Active in Disasters; Chair of the State Bar of Texas, Disaster Law Task Force; and is an appointed member of the Governor’s Task Force on Disaster Issues Affecting Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities.

Ariadna Godreau-Aubert, Esq.: Founder & Director, Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico

Ariadna Michelle Godreau Aubert is a human rights lawyer. She obtained a JD from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law and a Master Law degree in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford, UK. Ariadna has promoted strategic litigation at local and international levels and the use of technology to increase access to justice. She is the founder and director of Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico, a non-profit that promotes legal empowerment strategies to ensure housing, land, and climate justice in Puerto Rico. She is a strategic planner and fundraiser for legal empowerment and social justice work. She was recently appointed to the United States Civil Rights Commission's Advisory Committee on Puerto Rico. Her first book was published in 2018, Las Propias: Apuntes Hacia una Pedagogía de las Endeudadas, offers a gender-based perspective to the austerity crisis in Puerto Rico.

David Whalen: Project Director of Disability Awareness Training (DAT), Niagara University

David Whalen has been in the field of disabilities since 1986, founding Disability Awareness Training in 2004. He has presented some 650 times, 250 times in the field of first/emergency response. He is the Project Director of the Niagara University First and Emergency Responder Disability Awareness Training program, creating the nation’s only comprehensive training for law enforcement, fire fighters, emergency medical services, and 9-1-1 telecommunicators. He worked 17 years as an administrator at Niagara County (NY) ARC serving adults with developmental disabilities. He is the proud parent of 25-year-old twins. His son David has developmental disabilities.

Dave’s background in emergency planning, preparedness, response, and recovery includes chair of the New York State (NYS) Independent Living Council emergency preparedness committee, a FEMA Access and Functional Needs trainer, presenter at FEMA Get Real, NYS and Nebraska Emergency Managers Assn. conferences.

2:30pm-3:30pm

PANEL: “Effective Legal Advocacy to Address Systemic Failures in Emergency Preparedness”

Moderator: June Isaacson Kailes: Disability Policy Consultant and Organizer

June Isaacson Kailes is well known for her pioneering work as a disability advocate. She was part of less than a handful of people with disabilities who focused on emergency issues decades before Hurricane Katrina. As far back as the 1970s and 80s, June documented the profound and dramatic lack of equal and inclusionary emergency services for people with disabilities. She has worked nationally with FEMA, the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services on policy, planning, and training issues. She co-chaired The United States Department of Homeland Security’s working group, which developed a Functional and Medical Support Sheltering Target Capabilities List, worked on FEMA’s Guidance on Planning for Integration of Functional Needs Support Services in General Population Shelters , and was a nine year member of FEMA’s National Advisory Council.

Panelists:

Linda Anderson Stanley: Senior Manager of Disaster Programming, Equal Justice Works

Linda Anderson Stanley is the senior manager of disaster programming at Equal Justice Works, mobilizing public service attorneys across the country to assist disaster survivors with their unique legal issues. In this position, Linda led the award-winning Disaster Recovery Legal Corp and created and implemented the Disaster Resilience Program. Linda is also an adjunct professor and teaches a Disaster Law Primer at Stetson University College of Law. Prior to joining Equal Justice Works, Linda worked as a staff attorney at Bay Area Legal Services in Tampa, Florida assisting individuals with limited access to legal services with their civil legal needs. She focused primarily on disaster relief; housing law; consumer law; and veteran’s issues. In this capacity, Linda was awarded the 2018 Hillsborough County Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award. award for 2018. Linda now serves on the board of directors for Bay Area Legal Services. Linda served three terms as Director of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Disaster Legal Services Program (DLS).

Marc Fliedner, Esq.: Director, PAIMI Program, Disability Rights New York

Marc Fliedner currently serves as Director of DRNY’s PAIMI Program (Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness) and PATBI Program (Protection & Advocacy for people with Traumatic Brain Injury). While Marc served as Director of DRNY’s PAIR Program (Protection & Advocacy for Individual Rights), PAIR filed two pieces of litigation on behalf of people with disabilities addressing discrimination during the COVID-19 public health emergency: one requiring the NYS governor to provide live ASL interpretation during daily COVID-19 briefings, and one advocating for rescinding of NYS Department of Health guidelines subjecting chronic ventilator users to potential removal and rationing of their personal ventilators when they entered acute care facilities for evaluation or treatment.

Ariadna Godreau-Aubert, Esq.: Founder & Director, Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico

Ariadna Michelle Godreau Aubert is a human rights lawyer. She obtained a JD from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law and a Master Law degree in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford, UK. Ariadna has promoted strategic litigation at local and international levels and the use of technology to increase access to justice. She is the founder and director of Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico, a non-profit that promotes legal empowerment strategies to ensure housing, land, and climate justice in Puerto Rico. She is a strategic planner and fundraiser for legal empowerment and social justice work. She was recently appointed to the United States Civil Rights Commission's Advisory Committee on Puerto Rico. Her first book was published in 2018, Las Propias: Apuntes Hacia una Pedagogía de las Endeudadas, offers a gender-based perspective to the austerity crisis in Puerto Rico.