On July 9, Access Israel’s International Department had another impactful Purple Vest session for a delegation of experts from Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Rwanda, and Vietnam. This delegation was invited to Israel by MASHAV AID FROM ISRAEL to learn about community resilience. We were honored and humbled to have the opportunity to include the crucial topic of people with disabilities in times of emergency into a course for experts, most of whom do not come from the field of disabilities.
During the training, Shelly Rom, our VP of international affairs discussed the impact of emergencies on people with disabilities and shared the Purple Vest model for accessible emergencies and the importance of its implementation worldwide. Participants were also exposed to the personal stories of people with disabilities including how emergencies affect them in different aspects of life. Afterward, the participants experienced themselves emergency situations to illustrate the coping of people with disabilities during crisis. They practiced physical disability by sitting in a wheelchair and had to navigate to the closest bomb shelter in 30 seconds. For the visual disability, participants wore blindfolds and navigated their way to an emergency exit in the class, with and without guided sound.
It was a unique and successful workshop that clearly made a mark on all the participants and enriched them with new information. They shared insights about emergency situations in their countries and the consequent effects on individuals with disabilities. The participants emphasized the immense importance of spreading the knowledge from the “Purple Vest Mission” within their respective countries.
This amazing session couldn’t have been done without the support of the Seneca Trust for Purple Vest Mission efforts of raising awareness and providing tools for accessible emergencies worldwide.
