The August 8, 2023 wildfires in Maui marked the most devastating natural disaster in Hawaiʻiʻs history, impacting communities such as Lāhainā, Kula, and Olinda. While immediate community mobilization provided support, it became evident that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) were being overlooked in the post-disaster recovery efforts. People with IDD face a heightened risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in part due to a lack of therapeutic support and trauma-specific intervention, perpetuated by the disconnect between mental health and disability service systems and the lack of research in this area.

Recognizing this gap, the University of Hawai’i Center on Disability Studies (CDS) collaborated with Department of Health Developmental Disabilities Division (DDD) to develop a toolkit combining the social story framework with components of evidence-based interventions for PTSD, and rooted in Dissemination & Implementation (D&I) science principles. The toolkit, available for free as a digital download or in print, is comprised of a social story workbook for teens/adults with IDD, a workbook version for keiki, and a quick reference card for family members and service providers with strategies from Psychological First Aid. Through webinars, community dissemination, and direct implementation with the DDD participants and adult-day health programs in Maui, the toolkit has shown promising results. Ongoing follow-ups aim to assess its long-term impact, emphasizing the importance of inclusive strategies for addressing traumatic stress in vulnerable populations post-disaster. 

This presentation will present an overview of the evidence-based strategies used to develop the toolkit, discuss the process of adapting these strategies to this population and specific traumatic experience, and thoughts on how such an intervention can be used in other trauma contexts.