Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

November 19, 2015 - The Wireless RERC submitted ex parte comments to the Federal Communications Commission in open proceedings concerning the Emergency Alert System [Docket Nos. 15-94 and 04-296] and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) [Docket Nos. 15-91 and 07-287].

Wireless RERC researchers will be featured at the 2016 International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN) in San Diego, March 21-26, 2016.  The papers/presentations include:

• FutureS of Disabilities: The migration to a digital world
• Mixed Sentience Learning Communities: Design Considerations & Opportunities
• Optimizing Accessibility of Wireless Emergency Alerts: 2015 Survey Findings
• Wireless technology use by people with disabilities-2015: A national survey

A workshop, held by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and the Consumer and the Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission, is promoting the wider use and increased accessibility of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). On Thursday, August 27, 2015 from 1:00pm to 4:30pm learn how to improve the usefulness of the EAS for emergency managers at the state and local levels and how to improve the accessibility of alerts to people with disabilities.

On June 30, 2015, Wireless RERC researchers Salimah LaForce and DeeDee Bennett, PhD presented results of the 2014 Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) Survey and a Survey of Alert Originators Use of WEA at a webinar hosted by the Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities and Older Adults. WEAs are a component of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security.

Please join us for a FREE Webinar entitled:

Reaching People with Disabilities:

Wireless Emergency Alerting and Accessibility

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST

This webinar will have captioning and a sign language interpreter.