Inclusion of DHH Community in Emergency Awareness Training

About the Course

The purpose of this course is to increase awareness and understanding of emergency management personnel of the needs of D/deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals during disasters. This course is designed to improve the integration of DHH individuals in all phases of emergency management, including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.

It also explains the importance of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in emergency response and provides guidance on ensuring effective communication, accessible resources, and equitable response efforts for the DHH community.

Learning Objectives

Knowledge Comprehension: Participants will be able to accurately describe the unique challenges faced by the DHH communities during emergencies, including barriers to accessing information, communication challenges, and the impact of these barriers on safety and well-being. They will also understand a range of approaches and best practices to overcome these barriers.

Analysis and Interpretation: Participants will evaluate the effectiveness of current emergency response strategies and identify gaps in emergency services and accommodations, particularly in relation to ADA compliance.

Application of Knowledge and Interpretation: Participants will apply the skills learned to integrate ADA-compliant best practices into emergency preparedness and response plans, ensuring accessibility and effective communication for the DHH community.

  • • Understand key cultural practices within the DHH community.
  • • Define key terms and definitions associated with individuals with disabilities.
  • • Describe problems and barriers to emergency care, disaster preparedness, and disaster response faced by the DHH community.
  • • Distinguish best practices and pitfalls to avoid when communicating with the DHH community.

  • • Describe the types of assistance people with disabilities may require before, during, and after an emergency.
  • • Mitigate cause, impact, and consequences of emergencies for DHH communities.

  • • Develop preparedness plans for emergency personnel and DHH communities.

  • • Implement emergency response plans.
  • • Conduct search and rescue missions that ensure ADA compliance for DHH individuals.

  • • Reduce stress and vulnerability of the DHH community through ADA-compliant recovery strategies.
  • • Ensure ADA compliance in all aspects of emergency recovery efforts.

Each lesson starts with an overview, followed by text or videos focused on learning objectives of the lesson. At the end of each section of a lesson, there will be a short assessment.

Participants will apply the skills learned to integrate ADA-compliant best practices into emergency preparedness and response plans and other emergency management practices.

Interactive Educational Course

(Interactive Public Safety DHH Educational Course — explore the full training content.)

If you are a civil, government, private sector, or other organization or individual interested in collaborating with us on issues related to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing and Emergency Management, please contact Brian Tomaszewski.

For more information about the NSF CIVIC program, visit the NSF Civic Innovation Challenge Webpage.

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy under Award No. 2322255.