Reposted from EMR-ISAC

In stressful emergency transport and evacuation situations, individuals with sensory disabilities may face greater difficulties. Emergency management resources, considerations, and techniques can overcome increased threat perception, as well as various mobility and communication barriers. TRB hosted a webinar on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM Eastern that provided a holistic overview of the mobility challenges of people with sensory disabilities (e.g., vision, hearing, spatial awareness, etc.) in emergency situations, practical planning practices to enhance emergency preparedness, accessible and inclusive communications, and strategies to secure organizational support. This webinar was sponsored by TRB’s Standing Technical Committees on Disaster Response, Emergency Evacuations, and Business Continuity; Transportation and Public Health; and Equity in Transportation.

The slides are available. Please contact trbwebinar@nas.edu for a link to the recording. There may be a $90 fee.

Webinar agenda and presenters

1. Incorporating vulnerable populations into hospital emergency planning – Rosemary McDonnell, DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency and St. John’s University

2. Outreach strategies for enhancing the emergency preparedness for individuals with sensory loss – Meg Robertson, retired from Massachusetts Commission for the Blind

3. Building effective alerts and warnings for persons with access and functional needs – Jeannette Sutton, University at Albany, State University of New York

4. Question and answer session moderated by Thayanne Ciriaco, University of Alberta

The first 60 minutes of the webinar were for presentations and the final 30 minutes were reserved for audience questions.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants can:

1. Assess their organization’s current level of emergency planning for people with sensory disabilities and share best practices to improve it in an engaging and meaningful way

2. Use effective strategies to engage technical and organizational support to enhance emergency preparedness in terms of transportation, evacuation, and sheltering for people with disabilities or other access and functional needs

3. Implement effective communication strategies, including warning messages in accessible and preferred languages and formats

This webinar was delivered as a scheduled – e-learning live event and is categorized within RCEP as Technical, Health and Safety. Professional Development Hours (PDHs) earned on completion of this program were reported to the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Certificates of Completion are issued to all participants via the RCEP.net online system. 

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