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Disaster Preparedness: Guidelines for Advocates of
People with Complex Communication Needs (CCN)
The following information is for advocates who wish to work at the local, state and national level to increase awareness about the needs of people with limited speech and complex communication needs in emergency/disaster situations.
To date, few people in the field of emergency management and preparedness are aware of the needs of people who have functional limitations that interfere with communication access. This large group of individuals include those with speech disabilities, complex communication needs, cognitive challenges, very young children, anyone under severe stress, people who have a hearing loss and those with limited English proficiency.
At this time, there is almost no awareness of the needs of people with CCN who rely on AAC.
The AAC community needs to change that!
ACTION STEPS
- Encourage emergency preparedness personnel in your community to include people who have complex communication needs (CCN) in emergency/disaster preparedness planning and drills.
- Encourage people with CCN and their representatives to join community disaster planning committees and to participate in drills.
- Become aware of, and familiar with, the laws and public policies that relate to emergency preparedness and people with disabilities and other conditions that result in communication challenges. In the United States, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Presidential Order 13347 (July 22, 2004) state that governments, private entities and non-governmental organizations must accommodate the needs of people with disabilities in times of emergencies.
- Develop and implement an outreach plan that increases community awareness and encourages people with limited speech and their advocates to prepare for emergencies/disasters in advance. Helping people take responsibility for themselves in emergency/disaster situations is a key ingredient to their survival. See Disaster Preparedness for People who have Limited Speech: Taking Responsibility for Your Safety (www.aac-rerc.com).
- Help people identify accessible and reliable transportation they can use in case of a disaster. People should know if and where accessible transportation will be located In an emergency/disaster . They should also know where accessible vans/buses will take them. NOTE: If possible, people should identify their own transportation.
- Identify potential shelters and help prepare individuals who are communication-vulnerable to check them out. While shelters are expected to make accommodations for service animals, provide ways to plug in/charge electronic equipment, accommodate family members who can attend to someone’s basic needs/emotional and communication issues, etc., many do not.
Resource List: Emergency Preparedness: Improving Communication Access for People with Limited Speech
Newsletters:
AC News, Vol 19, #4, Dec 2007/Jan 2008.
Through the first hand experience of many individuals and a call to action, this issue of AC News reviews the impact of world disasters and humanitarian emergencies on people with disabilities and those who are called upon to support them at such times. This edition of AC News presents the experiences and perspective of people who have complex communication needs, their family members, relief workers and those who were called upon to rebuild communities after hurricane Katrina.
www.aac-rerc.com and www.augcominc.com
AT Focus, Vol9, Issue 4 – Summer 2007.
This issue of AT Focus provides information on devices that may be used to prevent or alert individuals with disabilities during an impending emergency. The publication also lists related websites.
http://disabilities.temple.edu
Communication Displays.
EAD & Associates, LLC.
EAD & Associates, LLC provides expertise in emergency management and special needs planning that ensures people with disabilities are prepared for natural and manmade disasters, emergencies and their consequences. EAD and associates a disaster Readiness Wheel for people with disabilities. One side of the wheel provides preparedness steps while the reverse side provides response information.
www.eadassociates.com
Servision provides readymade and customized Communication Picture Boards to meet the needs of people who rely on AAC and the partners they may meet in emergency situations. Servision’s communication boards can be helpful in a variety of settings: field hospitals, ambulances, shelters and assistance centres.
www.eadassociates.com
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Indoff and Vidatak E-Z Board.
Provides customized augmentative communication displays for the voice-disabled in acute-care and other hospital settings.
www.ahutton.com
Relief Organisations.
United States Department of Justice (DOJ)
An ADA Guide for Local Governments: Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to People with Disabilities.
www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/emergencyprep.htm
June Isaacson Kailes (JIK)
Disaster Resources for People with Disabilities, Disability-related Organizations and Emergency Managers.
www.jik.com/disaster.html
FEMA (Dept of Homeland Security). Disaster information, assistance, recovery and rebuilding.
www.fema.gov
READY: Prepare, Plan and Stay Informed.
This site has an excellent and fun section for children to explore and prepare for emergencies.
www.ready.gov www.ready.gov/kids/index.html
The Red Cross.
This is where you will find information on “Go Bags.”
www.redcross.org www.redcrossstore.org/shopper/ProdList.aspx
CDIHP, Centre for Disability Issues and Health Professionals.
This Centre provides an Emergency Evacuation Preparedness Guide.
http://wwwcdihp.org/products.html#evac_guide
AAC Organisations.
USSAAC, the US Chapter of ISAAC posts information concerning humanitarian emergencies that affect people who rely on AAC: e.g. Disaster Preparedness Tips for Emergency Management Personnel: People with Limited Speech and Disaster Preparedness for People with Limited Speech: Taking Responsibility for Your Safety and Tips for AAC Advocates.
www.ussaac.org
ISAAC posts AC News, Vol 19, #4, 2007/2008 in the site’s Information Exchange.
www.isaac-online.org
AAC-RERC (the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement) is hosting information on disaster preparedness on their website and inviting others to link to it. They have worked in collaboration with USSAAC and News-2-You to develop a range of useful materials for (1) people with complex communication needs and their families, (2) emergency management personnel and (3) AAC advocates. They are also conducting a study of vocabulary that should be available during emergency situations.
www.aac-rerc.com
News-2-You: News-2-You® is a family-run business started by Jacquie Clark, a speech-language pathologist with over 30 years experience. The current events newspaper began as a weekly classroom project utilizing concise, symbol-supported text to deliver current events news to a population previously denied this information.
www.news-2-you.com
Compiled by Anne Warrick, CCCF, Toronto Canada and Sarah Blackstone, AAC-RERC, Monterey CA
ISAAC Biennial Conference, August 7, 2008, Montreal, Canada.
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