Emergency Preparedness

The planning, policies, and infrastructure put in place to ensure that communities can respond effectively to emergencies such as natural disasters, pandemics, and other crises. In accessibility contexts, emergency preparedness has a poor track record of including people with disabilities — numerous US court cases have found emergency response plans violating the ADA by omitting provisions for notifying, informing, and evacuating people with disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic starkly demonstrated how systems designed without accessibility in mind collapse for disabled users during rapid transitions, from inaccessible public health messaging to grocery delivery systems that failed to prioritize high-risk individuals. Effective emergency preparedness requires building flexible, accessible technology and policies during calm periods so they can serve people with diverse needs when crises occur.