The County Administrative Board in Dalarna is working to include people with disabilities in crisis preparedness. People with disabilities risk being hit extra hard in a crisis. Falu resident Helena Fridlund expresses concern about her dependence on others during an alarm.
Falu resident Helena Fridlund, who is blind, feels anxious about being completely dependent on others if the shelter alarm sounds. “I am dependent on the surroundings to 100 percent,” she says. She has home care and the municipality knows where she is, but others become even more vulnerable, according to Fridlund, who is active in the Social Democrats.
Fridlund received the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency's brochure in braille and wishes for clearer information from municipalities for people with disabilities. The County Administrative Board in Dalarna is now working to better include vulnerable groups in crisis preparedness.
Defense director Alexander Helgesson at the County Board says: “The difficulty is reaching out with information in a good way.” On April 1, the government tasked the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency with mapping shelter accessibility for people with disabilities, a task undertaken together with county boards.
Annika Östling, chair of the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired in Dalarna and active in the Social Democrats, states: “The shelters are not adapted and how are we supposed to find them at all?” Helgesson urges: “Get to know your neighbors,” as not everyone needing help is known to the authorities.
