Reaching Vulnerable Populations: Importance of Accessibility in the Design of Preparedness and Warning Systems

摘要

Vulnerable populations and those with special needs are at risk in a disaster. Communicating preparedness and warning information is critical for these groups, and recent events highlight that much work remains to be done.Significant mumbers of any population fail to respond or act upon warnings of imminent disaster the question of how to deliver effective messages to those with perceptual, cognitive, communicative, or learning disabilities is all the more challenging. In the context of disabilities, the application of technical solutions in the form of assistive technologies and accessible information can do much to enhance the communication of lifesaving information, yet there is little in the way of specific guidelines, and research, used by the developers of such systems. This paper explores the challenges faced by vulnerable populations and discusses required approaches that can lead to effective communication.