Preparing: Employees with Disabilities
According to the
National Organization on Disability, 54 million people in the United States have a disability, and 58 percent of them do not know whom to contact regarding emergency plans. Businesses need to include employees with disabilities in their emergency planning and ensure that their colleagues are aware of their special needs.
Issues that need to be taken into account for those with disabilities include:
- Mobility limitations could make it difficult or impossible to climb up and down stairs or to move quickly.
- Vision impairments might affect the ability to read emergency signs or navigate down hallways or stairs.
- Hearing limitations could keep employees from noticing alarms or following warnings or instructions.
- Mental disabilities could impair the ability to understand or respond to an emergency.
In developing emergency plans, involve employees with disabilities and any caregivers or service animals from the beginning. Employees will be the best source of knowledge of their own needs and concerns.
Strategies to save lives
As an employer, there are a number of steps that you can take to make sure that your employees are as safe as possible during an emergency.
- Mark emergency exits with large, bright signs that are easy to read. Also, include tactile indicators on emergency exits.
- Teach visually impaired workers how to get to emergency exits from various locations within the office. These routes should be practiced during emergency drills.
- Make sure that disaster supply kits include any medications, food and water for service animals and other items that are unique to the needs of a person with a disability, such as an extra white cane or special batteries for medical devices.
- Make sure alerts can be communicated to all workers. While a combination of both flashing lights and audible alarms will work for most people, employees who are both blind and deaf might need another type of alert. One possibility is the use of a vibrating buzzer that can be felt if the alarm is triggered.
- Contact your local fire marshall, who can record in a local database the needs of your employees who may require special attention by emergency personnel.
- Install emergency lights along the evacuation route that will come on if electrical service is interrupted. Many people with visual impairments actually do have limited vision and will be able to perceive the lights.
- Implement a "buddy" system so that all employees with disabilities have an evacuation partner. Include this system in all emergency drills.
- Make sure that all emergency planning brochures, policies, instructions or other documents are available in a format that employees with disabilities will be able to understand.
After the emergency
Recovering after an emergency is difficult for everyone involved, but it can be especially traumatic for people with disabilities, who might lose vital connections to caregivers, service animals, neighbors or family members. Emergencies often disrupt their lives by interrupting routines. Transportation routes might be changed due to road closures or changes in bus or train routes, and interruptions in electricity could hamper access to offices and living quarters located on upper floors. Employers need to be particularly sensitive to the needs of employees with disabilities following a disaster.
Emergency planning resources for people with disabilities
A number of excellent online resources are available to help people with disabilities and their employers and caregivers to prepare for emergency situations. All of these links will open in a new browser window.
