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Public Policy

The goal of the Disability Policy Collaboration is to impact national public policy for people with developmental disabilities, including those with cerebral palsy and intellectual disability, and their friends, families and loved ones.

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United Cerebral Palsy Disaster Information Center / Response to Earthquake in Haiti

As a result of the scale of the catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti Tuesday, January 12, and due to the difficulty of transportation to this island nation, most disaster relief agencies are recommending that assistance go through defined channels.

The UCP national office recommends that donations be directed to the American Red Cross International Response Fund designated to Haiti relief, or to the ANCOR Foundation's CARES Fund, which will assist people with disabilities who are caught up in the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

As UCP receives information regarding relief efforts and support for people with disabilities, updates will be posted on this UCP Disaster Information Center Web page. The UCP national office is making a donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund designated to Haiti relief.

Relief Efforts

UCP Wheels for Humanity has provided 100 wheelchairs to Direct Relief International, 65 wheelchairs to Operation USA for immediate air shipment into Haiti, and contacted other international disaster relief partners regarding potential future wheelchairs and ambulatory aid equipment shipments to Haiti.

In addition, many UCP affiliates have created relief funds to collect donations for the American Red Cross.

For the long term, UCP is working with several affiliates to target long term assistance to people with disabilities in Haiti. UCP is in contact with several Developmental Disability organizations to identify exactly what will be needed in the next few months. Thousands of dollars in cash donations and truckloads of supplies, including medical supplies and adaptive equipment, have already been collected in support of this effort out of Miami. UCP will post updates on these efforts as they mature.

Resources

  • American Red Cross
    Call (1-800-RED-CROSS) or visit the American Red Cross online (www.redcross.org) to make a donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, designated to Haiti relief. Donations to the International Response Fund allow the American Red Cross to respond to global emergencies and disasters.

    In addition, hundreds of thousands of people have chosen to make a mobile donation of $10 to support Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti by texting "Haiti" to 90999 on their cell phones.

  • ANCOR Foundation
    The ANCOR Foundation, dedicated to building strong communities for individuals with disabilities, is assisting people with disabilities in Haiti through the ANCOR Foundation's CARES Fund. ANCOR is raising the money for the express purpose of helping an ANCOR colleague agency, International Child Care, currently in the Dominican Republic, to send a team of qualified professionals to assess and address the immediate needs of individuals with disabilities. Visit ANCOR online (www2.ancor.org/foundation/index.html) to make a donation. Information about International Child care is available online at www.internationalchildcare.org/about.php.