Volunteers With Disabilities

Seeing with the Heart

Written by Sally Mather, Disability Task Force member

Anne Inkret

Although Anne Inkret has had difficulty seeing a disaster since 1986, she has helped mobilize the American Red Cross during some of the worst natural events.

In 1986 Anne suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her legally blind with mobility impairment. Interested in staying active in her community, Anne approached the American Red Cross. She began volunteering for ARC as a DAT member and phone room respondent. After receiving a Masters Degree in counseling and Colorado licensure, she joined the mental health team.

When the wildfires blazed through Colorado in 2002, the American Red Cross was fortunate to have Anne among its volunteers. Anne worked in shelters and on the Emergency Aid Stations (EAS) as a mental health responder. Since her blindness created transportation challenges (the fires were a fair distance from Denver), she offered to stay at the shelter for several days spending only a few quiet hours each night on a cot.

While at the shelters, Anne was a popular support person for the many displaced individuals. Her gentle, reassuring manner calmed the fearful and her willingness to search for information assuaged those searching for answers. When the question involved information that was not available she searched for answers and found the right person whenever possible.

When working on the mobile EAS she approached her clients with warmth and compassion. As part of a team she willingly helped all functions while also supporting her team to maintain their morale and personal mental health.

She accompanied the Chapter Liaison on a statewide tour and found a way to get a very inclusive report written so that mental health professionals could better allocate resources.

Currently Anne continues to serve as a mental health representative at her chapter and springs forth as one of the first to volunteer for exercises and real world incidents. She has made it a point to learn as much as possible about Red Cross and is a proud representative for her community.