#Westport CT – First Selectman Jim Marpe announced today that the Westport Police Department, in partnership with the Department of Human Services, is launching a new Voluntary Registry for People with Disabilities.
Mr. Marpe noted that the confidential and voluntary registry service will assist officers and other emergency services personnel in the event of an incident involving vulnerable citizens with disabilities. The goal is to enhance first responders’ proficiency in addressing the needs of residents whose disability may make them susceptible to miscommunications, misinterpretations of behaviors and many other avoidable scenarios.
Police Chief Foti Koskinas stated, “Under the program, residents can voluntarily enroll themselves (or family members) in a confidential database informing emergency workers of special circumstances or needs in the event of an emergency or a routine call to the home.”
Human Services Director, Elaine Daignault noted that the “Commission on People with Disabilities has been instrumental in spearheading this project consistent with their mission of ensuring that Westport is a town where people with disabilities have the opportunity and support to enjoy full and equal access to lives of independence, productivity, inclusion and self-determination.”
Jim Ross, the Chair of the Commission on People with Disabilities, which he helped establish in 2017, added, “This initiative was one of the first identified by the Commission and we are gratified to be a part of such an amazing collaboration between Town departments and the community. It shows that Westport is a community that is invested in strengthening services and opportunities for people with disabilities. The Voluntary Registry is an important step in our collective efforts to enhance inclusivity and equality in town.”
The Voluntary Registry may also serve as an Equity Action objective of the Town’s Sustainable Connecticut application, a voluntary certification program to recognize thriving and resilient Connecticut municipalities. Westport’s Green Task Force is working with town officials to identify initiatives that meet the Sustainable CT criteria for consideration. In this case, the Registry may meet the goal to build and strengthen municipal processes to be more inclusive, cohesive, and representative of all community members, now and in the future. These system-wide, structural changes are an important step in creating open and equitable communities, according to the Sustainable CT guidelines.
Residents who may benefit from the registry are encouraged to register by downloading the form from this link:https://www.westportct.gov/index.aspx?recordid=346&page=33, stop in to the Town of Westport’s Human Services Department in Room 200 at Town Hall, or request that an application be mailed to them. One on one assistance in completing the forms is also available by appointment by calling 203-341-1050 or you may make further inquiries via email at Humansrv@westportct.gov.
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