Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide For People with Disabilities

Chapter 5 BUILDING AN EVACUATION PLAN FOR A PERSON WITH A SPEECH DISABILITY

OCCUPANT NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS

No Special Requirements. People with a speech disability can hear standard alarms and voice announcements and can see visual indicators that warn of danger and the need to evacuate. Therefore, no additional planning or special accommodations for this function are required.

WAY FINDING

Is Prior Knowledge of the Location of the Means of Egress Necessary?

No Special Requirements. Once notified, people with a speech disability can use any standard means of egress from the building.

Is Identification of Which Means of Egress Are Available/Closest Necessary?

No Special Requirements. Once notified, people with a speech disability can use any standard means of egress from the building.

Simple floor plans of the building indicating the location of and routes to usable circulation paths should be available in alternative formats such as single-line, high-contrast plans. These plans should be given to visitors when they enter the building so they can find the exits in an emergency. Signs in alternative formats should be posted at the building entrances stating the availability of the floor plans and where to pick them up. Building security personnel, including those staffing the entrances, should be trained in all accessible building evacuation systems and be able to direct anyone to the nearest usable circulation path.

Is Identification of the Path(s) to the Means of Egress Necessary?

No Special Requirements. Once notified, people with a speech disability can read and follow standard exit and directional signs.

USE OF THE WAY

The only standard building egress system that may require the ability to speak in order to evacuate a building is an emergency phone in an elevator. Elevators are required to have both a telephone and an emergency signaling device. People with a speech disability should be aware of whether the telephone is limited to voice communications and where the emergency signaling device rings — whether it connects or rings inside the building or to an outside line — and who would be responding to it.

IS ASSISTANCE REQUIRED?

No Special Requirements. Once notified, people with a speech disability can read and follow standard exit and directional signs and use any standard means of egress from the building. However, some may need assistance with voice communication devices in an elevator.