Barrier-free emergency communication access and altering system research report
This report contains the findings and recommendations of a research project conducted by DLR Consulting for the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS). CHS applied and received funding for this project from the Broadcasting Accessibility Fund (BAF). The research was conducted between April 2017 and Nov 2017.
The first deliverable on the research project was to examine the experiences of deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind Canadians in terms of accessible emergency communications, to identify gaps and needs, and to provide recommendations to address the gaps and needs. An independent consultant, Dr. Debra Russell, was retained, and the work was completed with project assistance from Dr. Joe McLaughlin and Ms. Robin Demko.
The findings reveal that there is awareness of the part of some Emergency Management Organizations (EMOs) about the need to improve access to broadcast communication during times of emergencies, however there are inconsistent municipal, provincial and federal policies for the provision of communication access for deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind citizens.
Across the country, deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind people report that they have experienced hurricanes, ice storms, floods, wildfires, tornados and extreme storms. Based on those lived experiences, there is evidence that deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind citizens in Canada do not have equitable access to communication during times of disaster or emergencies. While there have been rare occasions when the broadcasts have included captioning and sign language interpreters during a local or regional emergency, this is not the norm. This inconsistent access places deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind Canadians at greater risk during an emergency or disaster.