Transcript:

Power outages can be especially dangerous for people with disabilities.

They may need to refrigerate medicine, power medical equipment or mobility devices, or charge a phone so they can call a caregiver or doctor.

Taylor: “We say, ‘Access to power is access to life.’”

Yet Erin Taylor of the nonprofit Upstream Access says the overwhelming majority of people with disabilities that her group surveyed said they did not have backup power they could use in an emergency.

Taylor: “Most people are on a very limited income, and so being able to afford the power devices, knowing which ones to buy.”

So her Oregon-based nonprofit has stepped in to help. Over the past two years, it’s given away more than 300 solar-powered devices for free.

Taylor: “And that might be lights, it might be a backup battery, might be a small solar panel, might be a phone charger.”

It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Her team considers each person’s needs and any assistive technology they use before matching them with a device and teaching them how to use it.

Taylor: “A lot of our work has to do with making sure people feel confident, and they’re able to kind of play around, get used to them ahead of time.”

So they’re prepared when extreme weather hits and the grid goes down.

Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media