Academics and practitioners are welcome from a variety of fields.

Suggested themes and topics

• Minimizing the disaster vulnerability of the elderly and people with disabilities
• The specific needs and traits of the elderly population including those living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities
• Effective disaster policies and programs that specifically target the elderly population and people with disabilities
• International survey of best practices in the management of elderly disaster victims
• Higher education policies for capacity building in the fields of geriatrics and gerontology to deal with aged victims of disasters
• Methodologies and techniques for the assessment of post-disaster needs for the elderly and disabled people prior to disasters
• Legislative and institutional frameworks for disaster risk reduction with special focus on the elderly and the disabled
• Disaster planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation with special focus on the elderly and people with disabilities
• The roles of Government (local, regional and national) in building a resilient and sustainable infrastructure for the elderly and people with disabilities in emergency preparedness, disaster relief, homeland security and post-disaster programs
• The roles of Community-based Organizations and NGOs in post-disaster activities
• Disaster experiences of the elderly and the disabled
• International and regional collaboration of self-help organizations and national assemblies of the elderly and persons with disabilities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean
• Integration of Universal Design and Implementation Strategies into pre- and post-disaster plans