Emergency Communications and People with Disabilities

Helena Mitchell and Frank Lucia, WEC co-project directors, visited Washington, D.C. on April 25, 2011 for a series of meetings with FEMA (Office of Disability Integration and Coordination and IPAWS) and the FCC (Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau). They presented findings and recommendations from field trials and focus groups which examined accessible Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) alerts to wireless devices. The results were submitted to the FCC public record as Ex Parte comments in the open EAS and CMAS proceedings. Also presented were preliminary findings on the use of social media by those with access and functional needs. Marcie Roth, Director of DHS/FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, will share information with working groups addressing these topics of concern. View the materials:

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Microsoft Office document icon Briefing on the Wireless Emergency Communications project to the FCC on April 25, 2011.
Microsoft Office document icon Cover letter for ex parte brief filed with the FCC.
Microsoft Office document icon Ex parte report on the Wireless Emergency Communications (WEC) project submitted to the FCC on April 25, 2011.
Microsoft Office document icon Preliminary results from a survey conducted by the Wireless RERC on the use of social media during emergencies by people with di
Microsoft Office document icon There are over 56 million people in America with a disability. Frequently overlooked in emergencies are those with access and fu
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The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies is sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under grant number 90RE5007-01-00. The opinions contained in this website are those of the Wireless RERC and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or NIDILRR.