Emergency managers need to make sure they involve people with...
Emergency managers need to make sure they involve people with disabilities when making emergency plans, said Marcie Roth, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination. Alerts should be as accessible as possible, she said…
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Wednesday on a FEMA webinar about the Integrated Public Alert and Warnings System. As an example, she highlighted a demonstration from the county of San Diego that used audio, text and American Sign Language messages in the same clip (http://youtu.be/hoxcc0PFcq0). Getting people with disabilities involved in emergency planning is critical because they have expertise and experience using communications systems that will be critical during emergencies, she said. “We've historically thought about people with disabilities as perhaps liabilities in emergencies and disasters,” she said. “But people with disabilities encounter some of the challenges with accessibility and access to effective communication on a daily basis and can be some of our greatest assets as we plan our work.” Roth said the National Council on Disability is preparing a report for later this year or early next year that will lay out the current state of disaster communications accessibility and provide some recommendations.