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Emergency Preparedness - January 2011

January 14, 2011

Disability Policy Consortium

Emergency Preparedness
News & Information

January 2011

Disability Policy Consortium Emergency Preparedness Update

Dear Bill,

Welcome to a new year and hopefully more than a little progress on old issues.

Late last year we asked for assistance monitoring the TV news coverage of the Governor's Press Conference on the December 26, 2010 snow storm.

There was indeed progress shown. The Governor was accompanied by an interpreter and she was standing immediately next to him. However, TV coverage was spotty and the DPC received a lot of comments about fleeting sightings of an interpreter, but the message itself was lost.

Except for New England Cable News. NECN showed the interpreter's every sign for the duration of the news clip. The DPC shared that clip with people we had met with from Channels 4, 5, 7 and Ch. 40 in Springfield.

Liz Cheng, VP at WCVB-TV, Ch. 5, responded that she reviewed their coverage and said the following:

I reviewed our tapes of the broadcast, and I did notice that we included the interpreter prominently at the beginning of the Governor's comments. However, once we introduced a graphic format that included multiple features, including a weather map, blizzard scenes from around the state, an informational crawl and a small box with a shot from the press conference, the camera covering the press conference was zoomed in to a close-up of the Governor.

When we are covering similar emergencies and grappling with how best to convey and present a variety of elements, graphics, and information in a limited screen area, we will keep your comments in mind. Thanks again for staying in touch.

So, as an example of how hard it is going to be to change policies and practices, read the email to Ms. Cheng from DPC Board member Carol Hilbinger printed below.

Bill Allan

Disability Policy Consortium

wfallan@dpcma.org| 617-542-3822

Advocates Corner: Ch. 5 Revisited

Ms. Elizabeth Cheng,

WCVB-TV

Needham MA

Dear Ms. Cheng

I was watching the Channel 5 news coverage of the storm, and during today's approx 530pm governor's press conference. The camera was entirely focused on the governor - completely excluding the ASL

interpreter directly to his left. The interpreter who was providing

translation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing viewers.

As you are aware a segment of the population depends on ASL for receiving

information such as the governor was explaining, captioning is not sufficient to reach this population - and was excluded from your coverage of the conference. Other individuals prefer and receive information better with clearer understanding via ASL interpreter rather than captioning - this

population was not adequately informed.

Emergency information coverage was fully accessible on your competitors - channels 4 and 7 for the same exact press conference. Channel 5 has a moral duty to all it's viewers to provide appropriate coverage which it failed to do. It also has legal obligations to provide appropriate emergency coverage, which it also failed.

We are not alone in bringing this up, as at the same time there is significant discussion on social media among the Deaf community regarding this exact issue on Channel 5 compared with 4 and 7.

Sincerely,

Carol Hilbinger

DPC board

Ready Campaign

The Ready Campaign is making an emergency preparedness resolution easy to keep by providing the tools and resources needed to take the three important steps: get a kit, make a plan and be informed. Download the Resolve to Be Ready Toolkit, which includes information about the importance of including people with disabilities in planning for emergencies. You can also create an online personal emergency plan that you can download and print. For more information visit this link: http://www.disability.gov/emergency_preparedness/news_%26_events

FEMA Fire Prevention Grants/Deaf

With Inclusiveness in Disaster Planning being so critically important at FEMA, all of us continue to work hard at meeting the needs of those who are deaf, late-deafened, hard of hearing and deaf/blind. Whether it's conferences, workshops, work group meetings or informal brainstorming sessions, we're all looking for innovative ways to deliver important information and services to these underserved populations.

CEPIN (Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network), part of the non-profit TDI (Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc.) has been an innovator, delivering accessible emergency preparedness training to the emergency responder and consumer communities for 6 years. We are rolling out a new program, "Fire Prevention and Safety for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf/Blind" to coincide with the Fire Prevention and Safety Grants for 2010 (FP&S) submissions.

This workshop combines information about accessible smoke detector distribution programs with fire safety guidance directed specifically at the deaf, hard of hearing and deaf/blind communities. It is this combination of outreach, training and device distribution that can make FP & S grant submissions eligible for priority or additional consideration by FEMA.

You can see more information about this exciting new program at

http://www.cepintdi.org/firegrant2010

Caregivers Flu Information

Information for caregivers about steps to take when caring for others who are sick. Also provides advice on how to avoid getting sick while caring for or being around others who have the flu. Includes information about people who may be at high risk for developing complications from the flu. For more information visit this link: http://www.disability.gov/health/caregiver_&_provider_resources/caregivers

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