Effective Communications for People with Disabilities: Before, During, and After Emergencies

Non-governmental Organizations

American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

AAPD is the nation’s largest disability rights organization. It promotes equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation for people with disabilities. AAPD’s members—including people with disabilities and their families, friends, and supporters—are a powerful force for change.

Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT)

The primary mission of the coalition is to ensure accessible technology for people with disabilities. Although emergency communications is just one of the aspects of accessible technology COAT addresses, the coalition is proactive in providing and sharing timely information on the subject. It disseminates all FEMA notices, FCC actions, insightful state and NGO updates, and partner items of interest.

Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD)

The CCD is a coalition of approximately 100 national consumer, advocacy, provider, and professional disability organizations. Since 1973, the consortium has advocated for national public policy that ensures the self-determination, independence, empowerment, integration, and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society.

National Emergency Number Association (NENA)

NENA is the primary organization focused on 911 policy, technology, and operations (NENA, 2012). NENA creates standards, files comments on rulemakings, and conducts outreach and training related to 911. The association has been involved in all aspects of Next Generation 911 and is pushing for state and regional implementation of interim textto-911. Text-to-911 would improve access for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, and would enable text communication for people for whom voice communication is not an option. NENA’s Accessibility Committee offers assistance in all accessibility-related issues and provides subject matter experts on NENA’s committees and workgroups.

Wireless RERC

The Wireless RERC (Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center) focuses on identifying issues and providing solutions related to accessibility and usability of mobile wireless products and services by people with disabilities. Currently, the center is working on three prototype “lifelines” on wireless platforms, each of which will undergo trials for people with disabilities. The prototypes are an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app for emergency communications; a Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) video platform; and TTY-like access to NG 911 via a wireless interface (Wireless RERC, 2012). The Wireless RERC’s policy center provides substantive input into policymaking to help reduce barriers and accelerate adoption of accessible wireless products, services (including emergency alerts), and software applications. Of particular interest is parity of access to emergency information and ensuring that people with disabilities who require nonvoice communication (e.g., deaf, speech-disabled ) have equivalent access to emergency services as analog-based communications are phased out in favor of fourth generation/Internet Protocol (4G/IP) technology.