Regulations and laws covering the rights of persons with disabilities continue to evolve. Please check local and national ordinances to ensure that you are compliance with rules regarding building entrances and exits, evacuation planning, signage, and safety equipment.

For more information go to http://www.ada.gov

In an emergency, the organization’s primary goal is everyone’s safety. To this end, an evolving aspect of the emergency action plan (EAP) is focused on the needs of people with disabilities who may be at our worksite when a disruption occurs. Periodically review:

• Does the facility’s floor plan comply with industry standards such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Accessible Canada Act?
• Do emergency alarms have audible and visible features which help indicate whether to evacuate the facility or move to a shelter?
• Will these alarm systems work if the electrical service is disrupted? Do emergency communication procedures address the needs of people with disabilities, particularly with regard to two-way communication from within the facility (e.g., stairwells)?
• Do doorway widths and ramp slopes meet the needs of those with temporary or permanent disabilities?
• Do evacuation plans attempt to minimize the use of stairwells when designing evacuation routes?
• Does the facility have emergency lights, signage, and fire doors in place to ensure that the evacuation routes meet or exceed the requirements called for in national and local legislation dealing with accessible?
• Does the evacuation plan address the movement of people from upper and lower floors (if present in the facility) in the event that someone needs assistance in reaching safety?
• Is the amount of pressure needed to open safety and other doors in keeping with national guidelines (i.e., 5 lbs. or less of pressure to open)?
• Check parking area, drop-off sites, and accommodations in shelters against standards.
• Review the equipment and supplies stored on site to determine the level of support that can be given to people with disabilities (e.g. ‘transportation chairs’ for moving people confined to a motorized wheelchair). For information on emergency supplies go to RedCrossStore.org.

If someone is newly hired who has a disability or a current employee becomes disabled, update your EAP to account for this new factor. If your facility is visited by people who may have a disability, account for their presence in your EAP.

For information on the American Disabilities Act (ADA), consult 28 CFR part 35.150, “Existing Facilities.”

General Guidelines:

Review your EAP and determine if the organization has accounted for the needs of people with disabilities in the plan. Review the following checklist when making this determination.

• Have ERT members, especially Safety Wardens been trained on how to support people with disabilities or injuries who may need assistance during an emergency?
• Have ERT members, especially Safety Wardens been trained to safely move people from wheelchairs to transportation chairs? (Note: certain evacuation chairs only descend stairways, so they would not be helpful for a person evacuating from a basement or parking garage. For information on first aid equipment such as AEDs, go to: RedCrossStore.org.)
• Have ERT members, especially Safety Wardens been trained in the use of other lifesaving equipment such as AEDs?
• Do stairwells meet the applicable guidelines and standards defined by best practice such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards, and the Architectural Barriers Act Accessibilities Standard?
• Has signage been installed in stairwells and other parts of the facility that identifies the specific location so that an individual needing assistance can clearly communicate their location to emergency responders?
• Have emergency procedures been reviewed by someone who has experience in dealing with emergency preparedness and the disabled?
• Have those responsible for developing the EAP created opportunities for employees with disabilities to make their preferences known?
• Have those responsible for developing emergency procedures contacted agencies, local first responders and community organizations (e.g., fire and police departments, Centers for Independent Living, etc.) for input as it relates to the safety of people with disabilities?
• Have local first responders including the fire department been informed about relevant issues related to staff members with disabilities?
• To protect the privacy of those involved, take care to validate only the medical information necessary to implement the emergency preparedness plan?
• Have steps been taken to clearly communicate the reasons for gathering information on the nature of any disabilities among team members to all the staff while highlighting the organization’s commitment to maintaining confidentiality?
• Has the organization purchased equipment to help anyone with mobility issues move to safety in an emergency (e.g., extra wheelchairs, stair-chairs, etc.)?
• Has the organization offered training on this topic to staff members?
• Has a review of the location of this extra equipment been conducted by knowledgeable experts (e.g., local fire department) to ensure that they are in strategic locations?

Evacuation, Shelter-in-Place, Drills & Exercises:

• Have people with disabilities been briefed on to participate fully in all safety drills?
• During emergency exercises blind or low-vision