Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction

This course has been designed for occupational therapists and related professions to develop skills, knowledge and behaviours that enable proactive engagement and positive outcomes for disaster preparedness and risk reduction (DPRR) at individual, community and global levels.

The course content will provide a theoretical framework for DPRR, examining the ‘micro’ (individual), ‘meso’ (community) and ‘macro’ (global) contexts in relation to key principles to assess and improve upon disaster preparedness.

Your Experience

Throughout the course you will be introduced to other practitioners who share their experiences navigating the impacts of disasters, as well as case studies that provide broader insight into challenges faced around the world.

Each session you will apply knowledge through exercises that draw on your own professional experience, as you develop resources for your local community to identify and prepare for potential disaster threats.

What will I learn?

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Apply WFOT DPRR principles in your daily profession to improve disaster preparedness in occupational therapy practice, education, and research
• Identify risks and recommend solutions to improve disaster resilience for vulnerable individuals such as people with disability
• Collect and analyse data about disaster risk at a community level, and predict potential impacts on individuals and families
• Propose initiatives to assist community leaders and policy makers in resilience and preparedness
• Critique global risk reduction strategies and formulate recommendations for use at a local community level
• Evaluate the ongoing impacts of climate change on disaster risk and measure the sustainability of preparedness programmes

How long is the course?

You should allow up to one hour per section with a total 6 hours for completion of the course, however there are also suggested activities which you may wish to work on in addition.

What do I need to know to take the course?

There are no course prerequisites other than your willingness to learn about this topic.

How much does the course cost?

There is no cost to enrol in the course. WFOT resources are developed by expert occupational therapists who provide their time on a voluntary basis. The online learning platforms are funded by subscriptions from occupational therapists committed to the global development of the profession. WFOT needs your support to ensure that we can continue to provide learning materials free-of-charge to the international community. Please consider a donation to support the development of global learning resources.