Operation Dry Water – National Safe Boating Week

National Safe Boating Week is a perfect time to remind people about the dangers of boating while intoxicated. We are really excited to have NASBLA partnering with MADD to help further the message that impaired boating is just as dangerous as impaired driving.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (PRWEB)
May 19, 2022

Impaired boating continues to be a leading known contributing factor in fatal recreational boating incidents.* Operation Dry Water (ODW) is proud to join boating safety advocates nationwide during National Safe Boating Week, May 21 – 27, 2022, to remind boat operators and passengers of the dangers associated with boating under the influence (BUI). As part of the upcoming holiday weekend, boaters from across the country will head to the water while honoring, celebrating and remembering all those who lost their lives serving our country.

As part of National Safe Boating Week, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) will be representing the Operation Dry Water campaign at the kickoff event for the first-ever Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) boating under the influence prevention campaign, “BUI = DUI, Know Before You Boat.” The campaign launch will take place on May 26, 2022, with a press conference at the Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri, led by MADD National President Alex Otte, who was nearly killed by a drunk boater on July 2, 2010, when she was 13 years old. MADD will host a press conference where victims of impaired boating crashes, area law enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, NASBLA and other guests will help reinforce the importance of protecting the boating public from impaired boating.

“National Safe Boating Week is a perfect time to remind people about the dangers of boating while intoxicated. We are really excited to have NASBLA partnering with MADD to help further the message that impaired boating is just as dangerous as impaired driving,” says Lt. Kenton Turner, Chair of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. “The Operation Dry Water campaign encourages all boaters to stay sober, always wear a life jacket when on or around the water, and to take a boating safety course prior to departure.”

Operation Dry Water, NASBLA’s national boating under the influence awareness and enforcement campaign, works year-round to facilitate increased public awareness of the dangers associated with impaired boating and heightened enforcement of boating under the influence laws. Alcohol consumption while boating is not only dangerous for the operator of the vessel, but also for passengers.** Impairment can lead to slips, falls overboard, injuries and deaths that could have been prevented. When alcohol is involved, the risk of dying is the same for an impaired operator and an impaired passenger, and for men and women.**

This year will be the 14th annual Operation Dry Water heightened awareness and enforcement weekend, taking place nationwide July 2 – 4. Operation Dry Water provides a variety of free resources for the both law enforcement and outreach partners to use in educating boaters about the dangers of boating under the influence. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies can register to participate in Operation Dry Water at operationdrywater.org.

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) coordinates the Operation Dry Water campaign, in partnership with law enforcement agencies and outreach partners nationwide, through a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund administered by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Operation Dry Water (ODW) is a year-round boating under the influence awareness and enforcement campaign with the mission of reducing the number of alcohol and drug-related incidents and fatalities through increased recreational boater awareness and by fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use on the water.

*2020 U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Statistics.

**2019 NASBLA Boating Under the Influence (BUI) Research Report.

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FablePathways.com

Fable’s goal with Pathways is to create the go-to resource for people with disabilities interested in advancing their careers in the tech sector.

TORONTO (PRWEB)
May 19, 2022

To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day, leading accessibility start-up Fable is launching Pathways. Fable Pathways is a skill development program created by people with disabilities, for people with disabilities. Courses are free to take and boast a Masterclass quality of video production.

The purpose is to empower and excite people with disabilities to pursue a career in the technology sector. In 2021, according to the US Department of Labour, 19.1% of PWD in the US were employed, compared to 63.7% of people without a disability. Similarly in Canada, according to Stats Can, 59% of people with disabilities were employed, compared to 80% of those without disabilities (while the rate of employment for persons with more severe disabilities was even lower).

Today Fable Pathways is launching with two courses. The first is “Getting started in web development” in partnership with Microsoft, which introduces VS Code and GitHub to screen reader users. Course instructors are specialists in their fields, and offer their expertise with the nuance of having built that knowledge as someone with a disability:

“Working with Fable to create my course was an enjoyable and rewarding experience. My hope is that the course provides the skills and coaching needed for learners to advance to their next level. Knowledge and my experiences are rewarding for me to share and Fable Pathways allowed me to do just that.” – Kelly Ford, Senior Accessibility Program Manager at Microsoft and Instructor, Fable Pathways

The second course released today is “Becoming a manager”:

“One of the most critical components of management is communication, and I’ve had a unique journey of building that skill as someone who’s hearing impaired and have relied on assistive devices since I was six years old. I’m thrilled to share what I’ve learned, and truly hope to see more people with disabilities in leadership roles in the tech sector.” — Kate Kalcevich, Head of Accessibility Innovation at Fable and Instructor, Fable Pathways

The launch of Pathways comes on the heels of Fable closing a $10.5M USD Series A financing round, announced earlier this week. The round was led by Five Elms Capital, with participation from Difference Ventures, Disruption Ventures and notable angels including John Ruffolo, one of Canada’s most prominent investors and an advocate for accessibility and inclusion.

“People with disabilities are underemployed and Fable’s in a unique position to influence that, while growing our business. Our goal with Pathways is to create the go-to resource for people with disabilities interested in advancing their careers in the tech sector and this is a great first step.” — Abid Virani, COO and Co-Founder of Fable

Fable Pathways is supported by ServiceNow, MIT Solve and the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work.

Fable Pathways is now available at FablePathways.com.

About Fable

Since 2018 Fable has been helping enterprises build accessible user experiences by engaging with people with disabilities throughout the product development cycle. Organizations work with Fable to make products more accessible for over 1 billion people who live with disabilities. By doing so, Fable provides flexible work opportunities to people with disabilities in the technology sector.

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A community in Indonesia is running a disaster risk reduction simulation drill ©DiDRR Consortium

“…[W]e must admit that little has been achieved around the inclusion of persons with disabilities in disaster preparation, response, and recovery,” said Vladimir Cuk, Executive Director of the International Disability Alliance.

GENEVA (PRWEB)
May 19, 2022

“It has now been 7 years since we were in Sendai, Japan to discuss how to build a more resilient world while facing more disasters. In 2015, IDA, as an organization of persons with disabilities, was excited to see strong provisions on disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction in the Sendai Framework. But packing for Bali to discuss progress in implementing what we had agreed in Sendai, we must admit that little has been achieved around the inclusion of persons with disabilities in disaster preparation, response, and recovery,” said Vladimir Cuk, Executive Director of the International Disability Alliance (IDA).

Recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and concerned how to tackle climate change, world leaders, civil society and United Nations agencies are gathering in Bali, Indonesia to participate in the Seventh Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (23-28 May 2022). The theme is “From Risk to Resilience: Towards Sustainable Development for All in a COVID-19 Transformed World”.

In this altered world, human rights are as relevant as ever in emergency response and Disaster Risk Reduction. Respecting and upholding human rights is a pre-condition to ensuring that the different requirements of the population – before, during and after emergencies – are taken into account and contribute to strengthening resilience, particularly for the most marginalized groups.

Persons with disabilities, particularly in the Global South, are disproportionately affected by disasters, facing higher risk of death, injury, displacement, and property loss. Discrimination based on disability, age and gender often combines with other indirect forms of discrimination, denying people their right to assistance, protection, and participation in disaster management.

The preparedness and mitigation mechanisms addressing disaster risks are still not inclusive of the rights of persons with disabilities. As a result, persons with disabilities are more likely to be left behind during emergencies, with a death rate at least twice as high as that of the general affected population. Covid-19 has shown a blatant example of how pre-existing patterns of discrimination and exclusion have had a disproportionate impact on persons with disabilities, particularly underrepresented groups.

Ensuring inclusion and participation of all persons with disabilities in situations of risk and during emergency response is laid out in Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and must be considered a core component of principled and effective humanitarian action, including Disaster Risk Reduction.

IDA, a representative organization of more than 1,100 organizations of persons with disabilities worldwide, believes that an effective Disaster Risk Reduction is the one that addresses the root causes of disasters – which lay in societal vulnerabilities, in unaccommodated needs, disempowered strengths and unbuilt capacities of the population at risk.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly shown that a paradigm shift must occur in dealing with global-scale humanitarian and environmental crisis. The only successful way to overcome and prevent such crisis is one that does not leave anyone behind. Where persons with disabilities and their representative organizations are recognized as agents of change, they have the opportunity to serve in leading positions to tackle global problems, and their experiences are valued in all sectors of life,” said Cuk.

IDA calls on all participants at the Global Platform to bring human rights back into the conversation, by following a “twin-track approach” to Disaster Risk Reduction, as enshrined in the Convention. Empower people with disabilities by building capacity and reducing vulnerabilities, on one side. Develop inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction policies to increase awareness of people’s requirements and capabilities and improve the preparation and training of disaster practitioners, on the other.

Ensuring a human rights-based and disability-inclusive perspective in pre-emergency phases is crucial to effectively protect persons with disabilities during the most acute phases of the emergency – choices made during the preparation stage have crucial repercussions on durable reconstruction and on the long-term mitigation of human suffering. We will not achieve a sustainable and resilient society if all human rights of all persons are not protected, respected, and upheld.

Learn more about the recommendations by the Stakeholders Group of Persons with Disabilities Thematic Group on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Action.

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About the International Disability Alliance (IDA)

IDA, established in 1999, is a network of eight global and six regional organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs). IDA members, and their members, represent over 1100 OPDs from across 182 countries and the estimated one billion persons with disabilities worldwide. Its mission is to advance the human rights of persons with disabilities as a united voice of organizations of persons with disabilities utilizing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other human rights instruments. The 14 members of IDA are: the African Disability Forum (ADF); the ASEAN Disability Forum (AsDF); the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities (AOPD); Down Syndrome International (DSI); the European Disability Forum (EDF); Inclusion International (II); the International Federation of Hard of Hearing People (IFHOH); the International Federation of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (IFSBH); the Latin American Network of Non-Governmental Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and their Families (RIADIS); the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF); the World Blind Union (WBU); the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD); the World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB); and the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (WNUSP). For more information, please visit: http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/

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