Useful Information

Advocacy for People with Speech Disabilities: Emergency Preparedness Resources

by Pamela Kennedy
January 2015
Updated and adapted from article originally published in Therapy Times.
Kennedy,  P. (2011). No One to Speak for Them: Emergency Preparedness Resources for Those with Speech Disabilities. Therapy Times, 14, 15. 

The ability to communicate is crucial in the event of emergencies, such as a hurricane, flood, fire, trauma, or loss of electricity. Emergency personnel need to be able to interact with the individuals whom they are rescuing; medical personnel need to get accurate information from those who have been injured; displaced persons need to contact loved ones.

At these times, no population is more at risk than those with complex communication needs (CCN) - people who have difficulty communicating as a result of pre-existing disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism, and cognitive delays. To compensate and interact with others, they utilize augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) techniques like speech-generating devices, sign language, and picture communication displays.

Emergencies pose additional challenges for people with CCN because of the absence of familiar communication partners, loss of electricity to power AAC devices, and the need for low-tech speech technology such as displays with vocabulary that addresses emergency issues. However, these risks can be minimized with forethought, planning, collaboration and teamwork. As a person with cerebral palsy who communicates via a sophisticated speech-generating device, sign language, written messages and gestures, life taught me that lesson when I became a refugee during the Grand Forks, North Dakota flood of 1997.

.....more to follow in PDF version...