Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness: Communication Issues

By Cheryl Heppner, Executive Director

Editor: How do people with hearing loss get information in an emergency? Are there systems in place, and are they effective? Cheryl Heppner addressed these issues in her presentation at the 2003 TDI Conference. Cheryl is the Executive Director of NVRC, the Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons.

Cheryl not only gave this presentation, she also provided this report on it!

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INTRODUCTION

- Reports from deaf and hard of hearing people about their 9/11 experiences, collected regionally by NVRC and nationally by the coalition Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network (DHHCAN), showed a few strengths and many weaknesses in getting information

- The D.C.-area sniper shootings in Fall 2002 showed that many of the problems still exist regionally, leading to a request to DHHCAN for a follow-up national survey to see what accomplishments are being made and what projects are addressing emergency preparedness and homeland security issues for deaf and hard of hearing persons in Spring 2003.

- The national survey found that several individuals had taken the initiative to work on a variety of projects but there is little coordination or sharing of information.

- The list of concerns to address is so big that it was difficult to know where to start. NVRC decided to focus on the first step: getting information to deaf and hard of hearing people so they know that there is an emergency. If we don't concentrate on this first step, many of the other things we can do will be meaningless.

GETTING STARTED

- NVRC started with a "road map" of ways that deaf and hard of hearing people get their information and then listed shortcomings for each that need to be addressed or taken into account:

1. Newspapers

- By their nature, newspapers are unable to be timely. There is a gap from the time a reporter writes to the time newspapers are delivered. You only get information once a day.

- It's also possible that something might happen to the printing plant or to prevent delivery trucks from arriving.

2. Telephones

- Amplified phones, TTYs and other equipment such as audible or visual ring signalers are often dependent on availability of electricity, which may be affected in an emergency.

- Telecommunications relay services were unprepared for the volume of calls on 9/11; systems broke down in several states but no procedures were in place to inform people about the disruption in relay services or transfer calls to other relay centers. Relay personnel are not currently classified as essential personnel.

- Digital cell phones are still not routinely compatible with hearing aids; analog service, which is compatible, is being phased out. The recent FCC announcement to remove the exemption given to wireless phones for hearing aid compatibility will help, but it is being phased in and will not guarantee 100% access to all cell phones.

- Some government bodies have R-911 "reverse 911" capability. R-911 can broadcast phone messages to inform of an emergency, but government bodies need to identify and register those who use TTYs, and take care to make messages clear and easy to understand for those who use regular or amplified phones.

3. Internet

- Some web sites had news coverage of the 9/11 attacks by TV networks, but live broadcasts through video streaming were not captioned.

- E-mail is widely used by deaf and hard of hearing people who can afford it and have computers, but few individuals have backup power for their computers in the event of electrical outages.

4. Wireless pagers/PDAs

- Deaf and hard of hearing people who had pagers on 9/11, and were in areas with good coverage and good building penetration, could get information quickly unless there were delays due to high network demand. But many deaf and hard of hearing people can't afford the device, the monthly subscription charge, and the batteries required to operate some devices.

- Some individuals find pagers too complex to use and may not hear the audible alert when a page is received, or they do not want to always have to have the pagers attached to their clothing in order to feel the "vibrate" mode.

- The Emergency Email and Wireless Network can provide information via pager and e-mail about local emergencies, but only if the local emergency response system makes an active effort to sign up with the system.

- The Amber Alert legislation passed recently by Congress may offer some resources but its capabilities are not yet known.

- Deaf and hard of hearing people don't have the same access to the telephone, but 911 centers don't take pager messages (except for Sacramento, CA).

5. Radio

- A good deal of residual hearing is required to use a radio effectively; as one consumer said "I can't speechread a radio." Even with good residual hearing, it may be impossible to understand a radio unless it is used in a quiet setting.

- The U.S. Dept. of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has EAS weather radios available with a text display screen, strobe light, and vibrating attachment, but there is additional cost for the attachments needed by deaf and hard of hearing people. NOAA does not yet have full coverage of the U.S. with its transmitters, and does not yet have an automated alert system, though it is getting an additional funding this year to do both.

- Devices such as the GPS navigation display in certain cars like the Toyota Prius can receive messages via Radio Data Services, but this service is apparently not being used to display emergency messages.

6. Television

- Smaller TVs that can run on batteries do not routinely have the caption decoder chip; it is only required by law in TVs that are 13 inches or larger.

- EAS (Emergency Alert System) enables local and state officials to automatically send out to TVs the same information that NOAA sends to its weather radio; an RCA television coming soon will have the ability to turn itself on or interrupt a DVD, video, or program you are watching to give an alert. This system is not effective if a deaf or hard of hearing person is not watching TV or able to hear the information, or if the information is not available by text.

- FCC rules require broadcasters and cable operators to make local emergency information accessible. The requirement is for "visual presentation" rather than open or closed realtime captioning. Reports show that often the information is incomplete, that it blocks or interferes with regular programs, and that crucial information about what to do during the emergency or afterward is often missing.

- The requirement and the FCC fact sheet on its website were prepared pre-9/11 and largely address weather conditions, power failures, etc. but not other emergencies such as terrorist attacks.

- Sometimes there are crawls, captions, and other text cluttering the screen and it is difficult to know which information is new and important.

- The FCC website information says that if the President announces a national emergency, it must be captioned - but doesn't mention state or local emergencies.

- Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to phase in captioning of TV programs by 2006, but it does not require 100% captioning of all programs, or "realtime" captioning of news programs. Programs shown between 2 a.m. - 6 a.m. local time are exempt. News programs are not always required to have realtime captioning. Only the 4 major broadcast network affiliates -- ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox -- in the top 25 TV markets and cable networks serving at least 50% of the total number of households subscribing to the program must provide realtime captioning. The FCC has not provided information about what the top 25 TV markets or the cable networks with 50% or more household subscribers are.

7. Buddy System

- Making plans to have a friend, co-worker or neighbor to alert you in an emergency is unreliable, because first the person who is deaf or hard of hearing must be located and be aware that someone wants to give information; many don't hear their name called or the sound of a door bell or door knock.

- Alerting someone at night is very challenging because people turn off their hearing aids and their cochlear implants, and in darkness it is difficult to speechread or comprehend sign language.

8. Signal Systems

- Deaf and hard of hearing people tend to need highly visual systems; an audible-only system using sirens or other loud sound will not be successful even at close distances.

- Trying to use visual systems also has pitfalls; Gallaudet University cannot use its current visual alert system to warn of emergencies where students should remain in place because the students have learned that if the current lights start to flash they should evacuate the building. A second color light can be used to inform students to stay in the building, but they would still need to know where in the building - top, basement?

- Transportation message boards along roads and subways need to carry information that is more useful than a phone number or radio station to go to for more information.

CONCLUSIONS

- In an emergency situation, deaf and hard of hearing people, like hearing people, need "redundancy". Their many options for communication must all be prepared to handle emergencies so that if one goes down, there are many backups.

- Federal, state and local governments need to make sure their emergency preparedness system -- fire, police and other emergency services personnel, public health officials, etc.-- are ready to serve those who are deaf and hard of hearing. The best way to ensure this is to actively involve deaf and hard of hearing organizations and leaders in the emergency planning process. Written policies and procedures should address the needs of deaf and hard of hearing persons.

- Federal, state and local governments must provide specific information on their websites and in their written publications that speaks to the needs of deaf and hard of hearing citizens. "Turn on the radio" and "turn on the government cable TV channel" are not helpful as most government TV programs are not being captioned and have not made any plans to do so in an emergency.

- Government officials and first responders at all levels must join deaf and hard of hearing persons to become active advocates for captioned media coverage, development and utilization of technology, and other solutions to improve communication of information in emergency situations.

RECENT ACTIVITIES

- Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons filed formal complaints against five area TV stations in Fall 2002 with the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has yet to issue its response.

- Meetings with the FCC's staff dealing with homeland security were attended by representatives of national organizations for deaf and hard of hearing persons in Spring 2003