Addressing Special Needs in Your Emergency Notification Program

Any notification/alerts/warnings program, particularly for delivering messages to the general public, must include provisions for special needs individuals. The special needs community has not been totally neglected as government has built warning programs, but execution has been weak at best. For example, many telephone notification solutions do not really have a clean means for providing alerts and warnings to TTY and TDD devices for the vision-impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, mobility challenged and individuals with a speech disability.

For the most part, the systems require special lists of telephone numbers be developed for the devices. These lists are not readily available. In some cases, the special needs community is expected to “sign up” to receive notifications. While signing up may help increase delivery to special needs individuals, such strategies fall short of developing complete lists.

A system-of-systems approach helps make special needs notifications/alerts/warnings more practical. Where one system may fall short, another system may fill the gap. The flexibility offered would make it less challenging to create initiatives and programs to truly satisfy special needs.

In 2004, President Bush signed an Executive Order seeking to fully integrate people with disabilities into the national emergency preparedness effort by creating an Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities (ICC). The Order directs the federal government to address the safety and security needs of people with disabilities arising from emergency situations including natural and man-made disasters. A combined team of the US Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), which chairs the ICC, and disability subject matter experts conducted an intensive review of the 2006 DHS Nationwide Emergency Plan.

Findings and conclusions regarding communication/public information include a statement saying “public information associated with emergencies must be in accessible formats for persons with disabilities. This assistance should address all aspects of communication, including emergency notification and instructions”.

In response to these findings DHS and FEMA announced the interim release of the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 301 (CPG-301): Emergency Management Planning Guide for Special Needs Populations in August 2008, developed jointly by FEMA and the CRCL. CPG-301 is designed to aid tribal, state, territorial and local governments in planning for individuals with special needs during an emergency. The interim guide reflects extensive input from key federal, state, and local government partners, along with nongovernmental organizations representing special needs communities.

Note: Excerpted from Galain Solutions, Inc. white paper, "Notifications, Alerts, Warnings: The Next Generation". For a copy, please send a request to info@galainsolutions.com.