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Information for people
who are
deaf or hearing impaired
Click here for
other special needs information
The following tips* will assist people who are
deaf or hearing impaired to be prepared when
disasters strike:
Hearing aids
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Store hearing
aid(s) in a strategic, consistent and
secured location so they can be found and
used after a disaster.
For example, consider storing them in a
container by your bedside, which is attached
to a nightstand or bedpost using a string or
Velcro. Missing or damaged hearing aids will
be difficult to replace or fix immediately
after a major disaster.
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Batteries
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Store extra
batteries for hearing aids and implants. If
available, store an extra hearing aid with
your emergency supplies.
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Maintain TTY
batteries. Consult your manual for
information. |
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Store extra
batteries for your TTY and light phone
signaler. Check the owner’s manual for
proper battery maintenance.
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Communication
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Determine how
you will communicate with emergency
personnel if there is no interpreter or if
you don’t have your hearing aids. Store
paper and pens for this purpose.
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Consider
carrying a pre-printed copy of important
messages with you, such as: "I speak
American Sign Language (ASL) and need an ASL
interpreter," "I do not write or read
English," and "If you make announcements, I
will need to have them written or signed."
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If possible,
obtain a battery-operated television that
has a decoder chip for access to signed or
captioned emergency reports.
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Determine
which broadcasting systems will be
accessible in terms of continuous news that
will be captioned and/or signed. Advocate so
that television stations have a plan to
secure emergency interpreters for on-camera
emergency duty.
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Alarms
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Install both
audible alarms and visual smoke alarms. At
least one should be battery operated.
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Advocacy
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Recruit
interpreters to be Red Cross emergency
volunteers. |
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Maintain
advocacy for TV stations to broadcast all
news and emergency information in open
caption format. |
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Ensure hotels
have access packets for the deaf and
hearing-impaired persons, including visual
alarms, when you travel. Ask for them when
you check in. |
*Compiled from
the Independent Living Resource Center,
San Francisco, California |
