1. Accessibility Tools and Gaps Accessible Emergency Communications for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons by Cheryl Heppner, Executive Director Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons
December 14, 2005 – NIST Conference
Presented by: Jim House, National Coordinator
Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network
Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc.

2. National Report – December 2004
Emergency Preparedness
and Emergency Communication Access:
Lessons Learned Since 9/11 and Recommendations by
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network
Northern Virginia Resource Center
for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons
Text or PDF:
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

3. Major Finding
Current emergency communication systems for deaf and hard of hearing persons were given a failing grade.
Emergency communication is the top priority because we must know:
When there is an emergency
How to protect ourselves
How to access resources during recovery
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

4. Television – Emergency Info
Visual access to emergency information is required by FCC regulations
Three actions taken against TV stations in 2005 – California wildfires, DC area tornadoes, Florida hurricanes
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

5. Television – Emergency Info Lessons Learned from “Katrita”
Visual information not provided on TV
Need for realtime captioning of all news programs
Captions blocked crawls or other text and vice versa
TVs in shelters didn’t have captions
Cable subscribers had access to much more information
New Orleans couple needed sign language interpretation
Sign language interpreter cut off screen
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

6. Television - Gaps
Caption quality, monitoring and need for skilled, accurate captioners
Captioning by voice-to-text software being tested; Congressional funding sought for captioner training
2. Migration of TV, phone, Internet to wireless hand-held devices and Internet sites
Captions needed, caption capability of all devices w/screens of any size
3. Options such as RCA Alert Guard TV
Informs of alert, watch, or warning, even when using the TV to view videos or DVDs. RCA acquired by Chinese company; project manager left and no other companies yet producing this.
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

7. Television - Gaps 4. Battery-operated portable TVs with captioning
needed
Only one known: Toshiba MD9DP1 (9” DVD combination)
5. Readability of captions for visually impaired
6. Ability to activate captions quickly
Need button on front of TV, remote control; standards that require captions to appear quickly w/turn on, channel changes
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

8. Television – Digital TV
FCC originally set transition to DTV for
December 31, 2006 – analog programs
will stop
Congress now addressing extension
of deadline
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

9. Television – Digital TV
Some broadcast, cable and satellite networks
are not captioning their DTV feeds
Sometimes captions are stripped or not re-encoded
for digital broadcasts
Some older cable boxes can’t decode captions
Some caption displays must be activated through
HD/digital cable box
Purchasing and hooking up a DTV is a repeat of the
challenges in early days of TV captioning.
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

10. Television – Digital TV
Digital TV Access:
FCC information on DTV:
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

11. Television – Emergency Alerting System (EAS)
Takes over airwaves for emergency message
Intended for use in national emergencies but can be used by state and local officials
Rarely used in many areas, so no way to ensure it will be reliable and accessible
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

12. Radio – NOAA Weather Radio
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides information broadcast to Weather Radios
Information starts as text and is converted to audio
Several can provide text to inform that there is alert,
watch, warning but may give no other information
Some can be connected to strobe lights, a vibrator,
siren, and home alerting systems
Some make you choose between audible alert or
voice description instead of having both.
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

13. NOAA Weather Radio (cont.)
Some radios may have jack for audio
Weather Radio Improvement Program (WRIP) needs
funding to provide full text of information – best case
scenario 3 years to implement
Current equipment will not be able to receive full text
when it becomes available
Emergency management officials do not always make use
of the system
Doesn’t give school closings, traffic info, but can alert or
wake you for many events where seconds may count.
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

14. Radio – Gaps Lessons from “Katrita”
Need for battery powered radios
with text capability
Some radio stations that were able to keep on the air were the only source of information in the aftermath.
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

15. Radio - Gaps Need for development of digital radio services
Radio Data System (RDS) text is sent over an FM radio signal
Particularly important to develop for emergency use by deaf/hard of
hearing consumers in personal vehicles
Some vehicles like Toyota Prius have screens to display RDS
Scrolling text of latest headline news now being done by British
Broadcasting Co., refreshed every 20 seconds, 24 hrs/day
Radio receivers coupled with “smart” broadcasting system would be
able to send emergency text info to any radio within certain
geographical area, and automatically turn on radio if not in use
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

16. Telephone – Tools Landline phones Wireless phones
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP)
Telecommunication Relay Service – landline, wireless, IP
“Traditional” TTY/Voice, voice carry over, IP Relay, Video Relay Service
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

17. Telephone – Wireless Gaps
Some hearing aid compatible wireless phones now available and labeled, but still offer limited choices and require careful shopping
accessiblewireless.html
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

18. Telephone – TTY Gaps Consumers are migrating from landline TTY use
Need for longer battery life, ability to use
off the shelf batteries – reinforced by
Katrina story
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

19. Telephone – Telecommunications Relay Service Gaps
IP- Based TRS -- IP Relay, VRS – have grown phenomenally but
can’t handle emergency calls
CapTel can be used for 911 calls
Priority Service Restoration established to get relay services
back in operation in emergencies
Backup plans to transfer calls, emergency power sources
needed (Hamilton Relay in La. showed ability to adapt)
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

20. Telephone – Reverse 911
Works the opposite of 911 – emergency operations center calls you;
with software can “blast” to many phones at one time
Can make TTY calls IF your community buys that feature in its package
Emergency message must be well-paced and spoken clearly
Some localities give a number to call for more information that
connects to a voice menu system.
DC Emergency Ctr repeats voice message twice, then sends TTY msg
People with unlisted phone numbers may need to register
Good example of info for deaf/hard of hearing residents:
Dane County, WI --
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

21. Telephone- Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP)
Now taking off as wireless did
GAPS
Ability to handle emergency calls
FCC recently ruled that some companies must make VOIP work with
E-911
May be used with cordless phone, but not
all are hearing aid compatible or have jacks
for cochlear implant patch cords
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

22. Telephone – Other Lessons Learned from “Katrita”
Shelter staff had no knowledge of, or plans to provide accessible telephones, TRS services and were often resistant to volunteers, businesses trying to help provide it
Hotels providing temporary shelter did not always have accessible telephones.
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

23. Text Alerts Variety of local text alerts, free or for fee
Most can be made to computer, pager, PDA, cell phone and may allow selection of multiple devices
Governments
e.g. DC, Virginia’s Arlington & Maryland’s Montgomery counties
Local TV stations
Emergency Network
The Weather Channel
AccuWeather
Storm Warn
TRS Weather
Some states distribute weather radios, text devices
Maine, North Carolina
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

24. Wireless Text Devices - Gaps
Wireless coverage not uniformly available
Wireless devices w/text not always interoperable
Devices and cost of monthly service not affordable for many
Lack of portable pagers/PDAs with screens and keys readable
for deafblind
Text message information often brief; assumes consumer will
go to radio or TV for more information, or make phone call
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

25. Text Devices - Gaps
Need for all to have option to turn on automatically for emergency messages, connect to auxiliary alerting devices
Need for all mobile text devices to have GPS/terrestrial-finding ability
Need for all to have backlit displays & keys, adjustable font size, compatibility with Braille and large print displays
Consumers want ability to call 911 directly from text devices (offered only in Sacramento, CA)
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

26. Visual and Audible Alarms
Effectiveness varies from consumer to consumer, location to location
Low frequency alarms are being explored
Investigation also underway on use of different colored lights or other visual signaling – e.g. one for sheltering in place, one for evacuating the building
New public safety vehicle system with different strobe lights, sirens at frequency better heard inside vehicles
Tactile alerting rated as most effective.
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

27. Visual and Audible Alarms – A Major Public Safety Issue
Fires are the #1 Emergency
Only hard-wired systems with
audible/visual alarms in all occupancy
areas are truly safe
Systems for deaf/hard of hearing cost far more than comparable off-the-shelf systems
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

28. Message Boards
Along highways and in public transportation – often the only way consumers access to info while on the road
Rail Network TV on MARTA in Atlanta provides broadcast TV with captions
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

29. Other Gaps
Pop-up software needs to have the ability to override user settings and pass through emergency messages while blocking other pop-ups.
Sound and public address systems need to have quality standards (Many lessons from Katrina shelter experiences)
National Support Service Provider Program needed for training to help deafblind individuals in emergencies
Federal and/or state emergency equipment distribution for deaf/hard of hearing individuals at little or no cost
Audiologists must be part of the recovery team (Katrina – hearing aids lost, damaged by moisture, needing batteries)
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

30. NVRC and CEPIN Project www.cepintdi.org
Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network
TDI grant from Department of Homeland Security
Subcontracted to 4 regional centers
Northern Virginia Resource Center
for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC)
3951 Pender Drive, Suite 130
Fairfax, VA 22030
V TTY – Fax
Cheryl Heppner
Regional Director
Lise Hamlin
Regional Emergency Preparedness Specialist
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

31. CEPIN Project www.cepintdi.org
Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network
Office of Grants and Training, US Department of Homeland Security
Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI)
- New England & Great Lakes Region
D.E.A.F., Inc.
- Mid-Atlantic & Southeast Region
Northern Virginia Resource Center
- Midwest & Southwest Region
CSD of Oklahoma
- West Coast & Hawaii Region
DCARA
by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons