![](media/image1.wmf)THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590

August 12, 2003

MEMORANDUM TO: Departmental Officers

Heads of Operating Administrations

Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics

FROM: Norman Y. Mineta (OSB)

SUBJECT: Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is committed to providing
emergency preparedness as an essential activity in meeting the needs of
all people at its facilities, including people with disabilities and
other medical conditions. Under Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act,
as amended (29 U.S.C. 791), and implementing regulations, the Department
has a responsibility to provide adequate hiring, placement, and
advancement opportunities for individuals with disabilities and
reasonable accommodation in the workplace. The Department also has a
responsibility under Section 504 of the Act (29 U.S.C. 794), to ensure
that people with disabilities, including employees, job applicants and
members of the public, are not excluded from or discriminated against
under any programs or activities that the Department conducts.
Accordingly, when emergency preparedness activities are undertaken in
DOT occupied facilities, the Department must consider and provide for
the needs of people with disabilities.

Given the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11,
2001, the Department must take even more seriously its obligation to
safeguard its employees, customers, and the public. Employees and others
with disabilities should not feel any more vulnerable in the DOT work
environment than non-disabled co-workers and visitors. The special needs
of people with disabilities must be addressed as an enduring part of
emergency preparedness at the Department.

The Heads of Secretarial offices and Operating Administrations shall be
responsible for:

-   ensuring that emergency preparedness planning, procedures, and other
    activities undertaken in DOT occupied facilities address the needs
    of people with disabilities;

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-   providing DOT employees with disabilities and organizations
    representing DOT employees with disabilities the opportunity to
    participate in the development of emergency preparedness procedures,
    including procedures for evacuation and shelter-in-place; and

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-   ensuring that emergency communication plans are used to effectively
    communicate emergency plans and procedures for facilities to the
    Department\'s diverse workforce, including people with disabilities.
    Communication plans shall be available in necessary alternate
    formats.

Every member of the DOT workforce, including contractors, has a role in
an emergency situation. Managers, supervisors, emergency planning team
members (security, facility, safety and health officials, and
responders), volunteers (fire wardens and buddies), contracting
officers, and hosts of visitors must know their respective roles. We
must also assume responsibility for our own planning and safety in an
emergency, as well as working effectively with emergency planning
officials.

I am pleased to provide the attached U.S. Department of Transportation
guidelines entitled \"Emergency Preparedness for People with
Disabilities\" which provides answers to basic questions about emergency
preparedness and the needs of people with disabilities in DOT. These
guidelines also list references to websites offering more questions and
answers and \"how-to\" program information.

Within 90 days from the date of this memorandum, the Heads of
Secretarial offices and Operating Administrations (OAs) shall review
emergency planning efforts for their organizations and report their
findings to the Assistant Secretary for Administration. The report must
state: 1) whether or not the responsibilities identified herein are
being met; 2) what actions have been taken or are contemplated to meet
these responsibilities; 3) the timeframes within which such actions will
be undertaken; and 4) the name of a key official in your organization
with overall responsibility for emergency planning who will focus on the
needs of people with disabilities.

The safe and efficient egress of individuals in DOT facilities is of
paramount concern to the Department. Therefore, I would appreciate your
personal attention to this important matter. The DOT Disability Resource
Center is available as a technical resource to assist Secretarial
offices and OAs.

Attachment

cc: Chairman, Surface Transportation Board

**U. S. Department of Transportation**

**Emergency Preparedness Guidelines for People with Disabilities**

**I. Introduction**

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is obligated to ensure the
safety of its employees, contractors, job candidates, members of the
public, and other persons in any DOT facility. This document provides
guidance, in a Q and A format, on emergency preparedness in DOT
facilities for people with disabilities and certain other medical
conditions. Each DOT Operating Administration (OA) and Secretarial
Office should develop emergency preparedness plans for people with
disabilities (plan). This plan must take into consideration the new
variety of threats, including terrorism, bioterrorism, and spills of
hazardous chemicals, as well as traditional threats, such as explosions,
severe weather and fire. The hallmarks for the effectiveness of this
plan include speed of actual implementation, practice, feedback and
dialogue, flexibility, oversight, monitoring, and evaluation. All of the
people who use DOT facilities, including people with disabilities, must
be actively involved in preparations for emergencies.

The potential for emergencies or accidents that could have a serious
impact, including injuries or death to employees and others in its
facilities, exists in every organization. Planning for emergencies is
critical to minimize adverse consequences. The most effective emergency
evacuation plan is one that is designed in advance, created with the
assistance of those involved, practiced and evaluated for effectiveness.

The primary objective of an emergency evacuation plan is the protection
from injury and preservation of human life. Evacuation of personnel is
only one component of a more comprehensive plan, variably known as a
contingency plan, disaster response plan, crisis management plan, or
emergency plan. This comprehensive plan anticipates any foreseeable
physical dangers from naturally occurring or man-made threats.

A list of Internet resources on emergency preparedness for people with
disabilities is attached to this document (Attachment I).

**II. Roles and Responsibilities**

**Who bears responsibility under this plan?**

Everyone connected with DOT bears some responsibility under this plan.
Top management has oversight. Supervisors are responsible for the
workplace well-being of their employees. Persons with disabilities have
responsibility for their own safety contingency planning and for
disclosing necessary information to the appropriate agency
representatives. Safety personnel have the duties assigned to them under
emergency planning such as 1) performing risk analysis to identify
possible emergency scenarios involving people with disabilities; and 2)
conducting employee training and testing under simulated conditions.

A strategy should be developed to cope with each hazard identified in
the risk analysis. The strategy should address prevention of loss of
life and of injury. Security staff must be knowledgeable and helpful to
all in situations involving safety and security. Facilities management
staff has responsibilities for lowering and removing barriers to people
with disabilities. See Attachment II for a discussion of effective
communication techniques with individuals with disabilities. Where
questions exist as to responsibilities, solutions should be developed
and memorialized so that responsibilities are clear, distinct, and
unquestioned, with management making the final decision in the interests
of all. The Department expects all involved to carry out these
responsibilities in such a way as to ensure the safety and security of
all.

**What are the roles and responsibilities of supervisors and managers to
work collaboratively with their employees with disabilities or certain
medical conditions to develop individualized emergency preparedness
strategies?**

If an employee with a disability has identified himself or herself as an
individual with disabilities and requested assistance in advance, then
prior to and during an emergency, that employee\'s managers are
responsible for working with the employee to understand exactly what
kind of assistance is required and ensuring that such assistance is
deployed during an emergency. Also, if employees with disabilities have
difficulty recruiting evacuation buddies, supervisors and managers are
responsible to assist in the recruitment. Evacuation buddies should work
near the disabled employee so that they can respond quickly during an
emergency. The subject of buddies is covered in more detail in
Attachment III.

**What should employees do in case of an emergency and what contingency
plans should be made by people with disabilities or certain other
medical conditions?**

All employees and contractors must work in partnership with the
Department to ensure a safe and appropriate response to an emergency.
Employees and contractors must fully understand emergency preparedness
plans. They should know how to safely evacuate the facility and how to
respond to a shelter-in-place emergency. Employees with disabilities who
need assistance during an emergency must inform the Department of their
needs, including exactly what kind of assistance is required.
Additionally, employees with disabilities are encouraged to set up a
buddy system to support the emergency preparedness plan. For example, a
coworker could operate an evacuation chair or help an individual with a
vision impairment to walk down stairs. If any employee has difficulty in
setting up a buddy system, management is responsible for providing
assistance.

See Attachment III for additional information on buddy systems.

In order to assist in efficient evacuation, employees should take the
opportunity to familiarize themselves with DOT buildings. It is
important that they, to the greatest extent feasible, locate the most
readily available telephones, horizontal exits and ramps, exit signs,
enclosed stairwells (to determine whether landings are large enough),
and rooms that would make good areas of refuge.

All employees should have a contingency plan that ensures their
continued safety during an emergency. For example, if a DOT facility is
evacuated and is not immediately able to be reentered, employees are
responsible for their own transportation home. Employees with
disabilities, too, should have systems in place to ensure their
transportation home in case the workplace remains unusable. In
situations where normal supportive transportation such as paratransit is
not available owing to the nature of the emergency, DOT will make
reasonable efforts to ensure that its employees are not stranded without
appropriate care.

**What is the role of the emergency warden in regard to people with
disabilities and certain other medical conditions? How should such
personnel be trained?**

The emergency wardens are responsible for ensuring that all facility
occupants are directed to the fastest and safest way out of the facility
during an evacuation. Wardens must also be aware of the needs of people
with disabilities and certain other medical conditions and must follow
all appropriate protocols. Training on the safe evacuation of people
with disabilities and certain other medical conditions is available from
the DOT Disability Resource Center.

A typical evacuation procedure for employees with disabilities might be
to direct them to the nearest manually controlled elevator for
evacuation by a member of the emergency warden team. Wardens should be
instructed to allow all people who ask to be evacuated via the elevator
to do so if they so desire, even if they have no visible disability or
medical condition.

During selective evacuations (evacuations where only the alarm floor and
the floors directly above and below it are evacuated), persons with
disabilities may be relocated to a nonalarm floor with other occupants
rather than being taken to the ground floor. This is to protect persons
with disabilities from undue exposure to outside weather conditions or
from being stranded when a safe relocation floor is available within the
building.

In the event that elevators become unusable during an emergency, the
facility managers should plan alternatives for evacuating workers with
disabilities. Numerous models of evacuation chairs are commercially
available that enable disabled workers to be evacuated down stairwells
and safely transported out of buildings. Because the evacuation devices
require specialized training, it is important to instruct all emergency
wardens, evacuation buddies, and people with disabilities before they
have to use the devices in a real emergency.

**How do we address emergency planning for visitors and contractors with
a disability or certain other medical conditions who may be in a DOT
building when an emergency occurs?**

When employees are hosting visitors who may have a disability or other
medical condition, the host employee has the responsibility for helping
to ensure the visitors\' safety during emergencies. Since the host
employee is most familiar with the building\'s layout and emergency
plans, it is recommended that the host employee accompany and help
visitors with disabilities or certain other medical conditions during
emergencies. Emergency wardens are responsible for ensuring the safe
evacuation of all facility occupants, including visitors and contractors
with disabilities. Emergency wardens must be trained in how to
communicate with and safely evacuate people with disabilities. Training
is available from the DOT Disability Resource Center.

**III. Emergency Information Management**

**Is it appropriate to request medical and other information to assist
an individual with a disability in an emergency?**

DOT is permitted to ask employees to self-identify and to indicate if
assistance will be needed during an emergency under the following
circumstances:

1\) After making a job offer but before employment begins

2\) By means of periodic surveys of all current employees, as long as
DOT makes it clear that self-identification is voluntary and explains
the purpose for requesting the information

3\) By asking employees with known disabilities whether they will
require assistance in an emergency.

DOT will not assume, however, that everyone with an obvious disability
will need assistance during an evacuation or other emergency. For
example, many people who are blind may prefer to walk down stairs
unassisted, along with other employees. People with disabilities
generally are in the best position to assess and make known their
particular needs.

DOT will inform all people who are asked about their possible need for
emergency assistance that the information they provide will be kept
confidential and shared only with people who have responsibilities under
the emergency preparedness plan. Since DOT may ask people who indicate a
need for assistance to describe the type of help they think will be
needed, a tool has been developed to standardize the information
requested. Attachment IV is the tool.

For example, DOT may need to know whether someone who uses a wheelchair
because of mobility limitations is able to walk independently, with or
without the use of crutches or a cane, or if an individual will need any
special medication, equipment, or device (e.g., a carrier strap for an
assisted wheelchair or a mask because of a respiratory condition). DOT
is entitled only to the information necessary to provide assistance. In
most instances, it will be unnecessary for DOT to know the details of an
individual\'s medical condition.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, requires that DOT programs
and activities be nondiscriminatory and accessible. It also requires, as
amended, that medical information about applicants and employees be kept
confidential, except for that provided to first responders and first-aid
and safety personnel. Thus, DOT may share information about the type of
assistance an individual needs with medical professionals, emergency
coordinators, floor captains, colleagues who have volunteered to act as
buddies, building security officers who need to confirm that everyone
has been evacuated, and other nonmedical personnel who are responsible
for ensuring emergency preparedness under DOT\'s emergency preparedness
plan.

Some examples of people who do not fit the legal definition of a person
with a disability, but who may need assistance or special planning for
emergencies include the elderly, pregnant women, and people who are
obese. There may be people with temporary or episodic needs. In
addition, during the course of the actual emergency, it is possible that
other people will become disabled due to injuries, heart attack,
respiratory crisis, stress, etc. When that happens, preparations,
communications, and equipment specified in this plan will be useful and
necessary.

**Maintaining lists of employees and equipment**

Appropriate management, safety, and security personnel must ensure that
a list is maintained of persons who have notified facility staff that
they have a disability or some other medical condition and will require
special assistance in an emergency. The list must include the unit,
office, or room number location that the person occupies in the
building, as well as telephone numbers and emergency pagers. The list
must be provided to fire and rescue personnel and other first responders
so that they can be sure that all endangered employees are safe. A key
element of emergency planning is working in advance with fire and rescue
personnel and other likely first responders so that they will be
familiar with the needs of DOT\'s employees with disabilities.

The plan must identify the location and type of any
evacuation-assistance devices or assistive technologies that are in the
building and where they are stored.

**IV. Communication and Planning**

**What emergency communication plans are required for ensuring that
people with disabilities and certain other medical conditions receive
all emergency information?**

A written communication plan for people with disabilities or certain
other medical conditions is required. The plan needs to include methods
for communicating emergency information to all employees. Emergency
preparedness information should be communicated to new employees during
orientation and training. Current employees should receive updates and
reminders on emergency evacuation procedures and policies. All emergency
preparedness plans should be made available in alternative formats
(e.g., electronic format, large print, or Braille).

All actions in preparation for and during an emergency require
excellent, speedy, and reliable communication. Communications must be
effective and understandable, use redundant channels, be directed to
people who need to act, and include feedback and dialogue. To ensure
that people with certain sensory and cognitive disabilities (e.g.,
hearing, visual, or developmental disabilities) are sufficiently aware
of emergency preparedness procedures, alternative communication
mechanisms must be used where necessary. For example, emergency
preparedness plans should be available in electronic format, large
print, and Braille and provided to people who need them. Also, if a
particular DOT facility is not equipped with flashing strobe fire
alarms, it may be necessary to purchase vibrating text message pagers to
inform deaf employees of an emergency. The DOT Disability Resource
Center should be contacted to assist in identifying and acquiring
appropriate communication devices for DOT employees. However,
communication mechanisms must be established with all people who may be
in the building, regardless of whether they are employees, contractors,
or visitors. It may be necessary to use either text displays (television
monitors or scrolling text signs) located throughout the building or
portable devices (tactile or vibrating pagers), which have been utilized
effectively. DOT employs a wide range of people. People with mental
impairments may become confused when challenged with the unusual
activity during an emergency, may lose their sense of direction, and may
require having emergency directions presented as simplified steps or
basic concepts.

Emergency alarms must be distinctive and easily recognized by all
employees. The alarms must be able to be heard, seen, or otherwise
perceived by everyone in the workplace.

During an actual emergency, continuous information must be provided to
people with disabilities, as effectively as it is provided to other
people in DOT facilities.

**What procedures must be in place to ensure that people with
disabilities and certain other medical conditions can report an
emergency if they are the first to become aware of it?**

Agency officials must ensure that emergency fire alarms are accessible
to people who use wheelchairs, are short statured, or are blind, and
that instructions for emergency alarms are accessible to people who are
blind. Emergency telephone numbers also should be made accessible to
people with hearing disabilities by installing an emergency TTY line or
some other accessible approach. In regard to manual-pull fire alarms,
facility managers should also consider that not all people possess the
strength and/or dexterity to operate some of the manual-pull-station
devices (e.g., people with arthritis or quadriplegia).

**How should one plan for an emergency that occurs before or after core
business hours?**

Each employee and user of the building should perform individual
planning for safe evacuation during nonbusiness hours, when fire wardens
are unlikely to be available. All employees, including employees with
disabilities, should have at least two escape routes from their offices.
Additionally, employees with disabilities are strongly encouraged to
have nonbusiness-hour buddies for assistance during an emergency. It is
particularly important for security personnel to be familiar with this
plan and with persons with disabilities who use DOT facilities after
normal business hours. To maximize safety during non-business hours, the
individual with a disability should alert building security upon
entering the building. Someone will then be ready to search for and
assist the individual to safety, if needed. Managers should ensure that
shift workers and others who work on the premises outside normal hours,
such as cleaners, are included in the agency emergency evaluation plan.
If there are employees whose knowledge of English may be limited,
training should be given in a way that they can understand.
Non-English-speakers and staff who have poor reading skills should be
considered when written instructions are prepared.

**What strategies should be in place for conducting practice drills for
people with disabilities or certain other medical conditions?**

Effective response to emergencies requires preparation and drills in as
realistic a manner as possible. This preparation includes assembly of
individual safety kits and medicines, use of actual equipment, and use
of actual exit routes. Furthermore, people with disabilities and certain
other medical conditions should be provided the opportunity to have
individual emergency drills with safety personnel, separate from the
routine emergency drills, if any individual so requests. Facility and
security personnel bear a particular responsibility to make certain that
exit routes are unobstructed and to otherwise facilitate such drills. No
drill should endanger life safety.

Facility and security personnel should treat individual and group drills
as an opportunity to observe procedures and practices and to obtain
feedback on how to improve evacuation strategies and tactics. Employee
organizations that represent employees with disabilities may wish to
schedule group drills to ensure that their members are prepared for an
emergency. It will be useful to hold a critique session after each drill
with the participants. If difficulties are discovered by means of the
drills, persons with disabilities should be provided with alternative
methods of evacuation.

Practice evacuations should not be voluntary. The people who might
otherwise opt out of the exercise may in fact be the ones who will pose
the greatest challenges. Practice evacuations with less than the full
complement of people in the building can also give a false timeframe for
evacuating the building.

**V. Facilities**

**Modifications that may be required to facilities**

Employees with disabilities and others may request pathway marking
systems and other special signage to assist them in evacuation. Facility
management and staff should make every effort to accommodate such
requests.

**Vl. Training**

All workers, including workers with disabilities or certain other
medical conditions, must understand the workplace emergency plans.
Employers are required to train employees whenever:

-   New emergency plans are developed;

-   Employees are assigned initially to a job;

-   Employees\' responsibilities within the plan change; or

-   The plan is changed.

DOT is also required to designate employees to assist in the safe and
orderly evacuation of the workplace. Emergency wardens must receive
training in emergency procedures and completely understand their roles
during emergencies. People who need additional assistance with their
building\'s emergency procedures should contact their employing agency
or the facility\'s safety officer.

Since the Department also has many contractors working within DOT
facilities, it is extremely important to make sure that contractors are
informed of workplace emergency plans. The DOT offices responsible for
issuing contracts should ensure that emergency plans are shared and
understood by the contractors working within DOT\'s facilities. Ideally,
all contractors should develop their own emergency action plans that
mirror the overall DOT plans for the building. However, contractors\'
emergency plans may have specific differences, such as designated
meeting places or internal emergency wardens.

**Attachment I: Web Resources on Emergency Preparedness for People With
Disabilities**

**Emergency Preparedness Guide from the National Organization on
Disability**

Compelled by the attacks of September 11, 2001, the National
Organization on Disability (NOD) launched the Emergency Preparedness
Initiative (EPI) to ensure that emergency managers would address
disability concerns and that people with disabilities were included in
the emergency planning process. NOD seeks to increase communication and
cooperation between emergency managers and the disability community and
to educate people with disabilities about what they can do to be
prepared.

<http://www.nod.org/emergency/index.cfm>

**FEMA Emergency Procedures for People With Disabilities**

This booklet offers ideas and solutions for dealing with challenges to
the safety needs of people with disabilities.

<http://www.usfa.fema.gov/public/dis_a64.cfm>

**Fire Risks for the Mobility Impaired**

<http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/txt/publications/fa-204.txt>

**Fire Risks for the Blind or Visually Impaired**

<http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/txt/publications/fa-205.txt>

**Fire Risks for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing**

<http://www.usfa.fema.gov/dhtml/public/dis_a64.cfm>

**U.S. Access Board**

The U.S. Access Board hosts a Web area that includes more resources for
the emergency evacuation of people with disabilities.

<http://www.access-board.gov/evac.htm>

**Job Accommodations Network Emergency Preparedness Guidance**

This publication is intended to provide an overview of emergency
procedures for employees with disabilities.

<http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/emergency.html>

**Ten Ways To Keep Yourself Safe at Work (Provided by ican.com)**

Although employers or buildings may have evacuation plans in place,
experts agree that people with disabilities must take responsibility for
their own safety. Here are 10 tips for keeping yourself safe at work.

<http://www.ican.com/news/fullpage.cfm?articleid=B0547F84-4752-42B7-81592B326706E119>

**The National Center on Emergency Planning for People With
Disabilities**

The National Center on Emergency Planning for People with Disabilities
provides resources to assist local emergency planning organizations
(both public and private) to plan for assisting people who need
specialized communications, transportation, and medical supports.
<http://www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/articles/0102/default.asp?page=0102agn-safety.asp>

**Emergency Planning for People With Disabilities (From esight.org)**

In the wake of the September 11 disasters in the United States, an
unspoken question in many people\'s minds has been, how can we include
an employee with a disability in our emergency and evacuation plans?
Here are some answers.

<http://www.esight.org/View.cfm?x=364&ov_id=-1>

**Attachment II: Tips on Interacting With People With**

**Disabilities**

Below are detailed pointers for interacting with people with various
types of disabilities during emergency situations. This information
comes from The Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions
(CDIHP) at Western University of Health Science\'s guidance on disaster
preparedness guidance for people with disabilities. Suiting the content
and type of message to the receiver will accomplish the best results.
The method is also important. Effective communication will take place
only when the special needs of the recipient of the message are taken
into consideration. Since in an emergency time is of the essence, giving
information in the most efficient way for the person you are trying to
warn or to help will be not only critical but lifesaving.

**Vision Impairments**

When assisting persons with vision impairments, there are some basic
rules to follow in order to be effective:

-   Announce your presence; speak out when entering the work area.

-   Speak naturally and directly to the individual and NOT through a
    third party. Do not shout.

-   Don\'t be afraid to use words like \"see,\" \"look,\" or \"blind.\"

-   Offer assistance but let the person explain what help is needed.

-   Describe the action to be taken in advance.

-   Let the individual grasp your arm or shoulder lightly for guidance.
    He/she may choose to walk slightly behind you to gauge your body
    reactions to obstacles; be sure to mention stairs, doorways, narrow
    passages, ramps, etc.

-   When guiding the person to a seat, place his or her hand on the back
    of the chair.

-   If leading several people with visual impairments at the same time,
    ask them to hold each other\'s hands.

-   After exiting the building, ensure that people with impaired vision
    are not left unassisted but are led to a place of safety where a
    colleague or colleagues should remain with them until the emergency
    is over.

**Suggestions When Assisting Owners of Assistive Animals**

-   Do not pet or offer an assistive animal any food without the
    permission of its owner.

-   When the animal is wearing its harness, it is on duty; if you want
    the animal not to guide its owner, have the owner remove the
    animal\'s harness.

-   Plan for the animal to be evacuated with its owner.

-   In the event you are asked to take the animal while assisting the
    owner, it is recommended that you (the helper) hold the leash and
    not the animal\'s harness.

**Hearing Impairments**

When assisting persons with hearing impairments, here are some things to
keep in mind:

-   Flick the lights when entering the hearing-impaired person\'s work
    area, to get his/her attention.

-   Establish eye contact with the hearing-impaired individual even if
    an interpreter is present. Face the light; do not cover or turn your
    face away and never chew gum.

-   Use facial expressions and hand gestures as visual cues.

-   Check to see whether you have been understood and repeat your
    message if necessary.

-   Use pencil and paper. Write slowly and let the hearing-impaired
    individual read as you write. Written communication may be
    especially important if you are unable to understand the
    individual\'s speech.

-   Do not allow others to interrupt or joke with you while you are
    conveying emergency information.

-   Be patient; the hearing-impaired individual may have difficulty
    comprehending the urgency of your message.

-   Provide the hearing-impaired individual with a flashlight for
    signaling his/her location in case he/she is separated from the
    rescuing team or buddy and to facilitate lip-reading in the dark.

**Learning Disabilities**

In an emergency, people with learning disabilities may have difficulty
recognizing that an emergency exists or being motivated to act by
untrained rescuers. They may also have difficulty responding to
instructions that require more than a few simple actions. Be aware that:

-   Their visual perception of written instructions or signs may be
    confused.

-   Their sense of direction may be limited, requiring someone to
    accompany them.

-   Directions or information may need to be subdivided into simple
    steps. Be patient.

-   Simple signals and/or symbols should be used (e.g., the graphics
    used throughout this section).

-   A person\'s ability to understand speech is often better developed
    than his/her own vocabulary. Do not talk about a person to others in
    front of him/her.

-   The people should be treated as adults who happen to have cognitive
    or learning disabilities. Do not talk down to them or treat them
    like children.

**Attachment III: Effective Use of the Buddy System**

*This information comes from The Center for Disability Issues and the
Health Professions (CDIHP) at Western University of Health Science\'s
guidance on disaster preparedness for people with disabilities.*

For an emergency plan for a building to be effective, the person with a
disability and his or her buddy must be able to make contact with each
other quickly when the need arises. Situations that can prevent their
doing so include the following:

-   The buddy is in the building but is absent from the customary work
    area.

-   The buddy cannot locate the person with a disability because the
    person is absent from the customary work area.

-   The employee with a disability is working late when the buddy is
    unavailable.

-   The buddy has left the company and a new one has yet to be
    identified.

-   The buddy has not been trained in what to do or how to assist.

-   The buddy is inappropriate (e.g., not strong enough).

-   The buddy isn\'t acceptable to the employee with a disability.

-   The buddy forgets or is frightened and abandons the employee with a
    disability.

The following suggestions are potential solutions:

-   Assign at least two buddies who are work associates. Alert the floor
    warden about the work location of the person with a disability.

-   If he/she cannot locate the assigned person, the buddy should alert
    the floor warden. Employees could be given pagers.

-   Employees with disabilities should identify themselves to the
    officials in the emergency control center when in the building after
    hours. The officials coordinate immediate emergency response, call
    the employee, and alert the proper responding fire service.

-   Employees with disabilities can be given the responsibility for
    selecting their own buddies; emergency plan reviews, which should be
    conducted every 2 months, should include checking the status of
    buddies.

-   The employee with a disability trains the buddy as soon as the buddy
    is recruited.

-   The employee with a disability is encouraged to select only buddies
    who are capable. Conducting practice sessions is necessary to ensure
    that buddies will be able to handle their assigned tasks.

-   Employees with disabilities are encouraged to select only
    friends/colleagues as buddies.

**Attachment IV: U. S. Department of Transportation Emergency Assistance
Employee**

**Self-Identification Form**

In an emergency, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is
obligated to ensure the safety of its employees and other persons in any
facility DOT owns or occupies. Under Sections 501 and 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the Department is further
obligated to provide assistance to employees with disabilities or
certain other medical conditions (employees with disabilities), during
an emergency. Such people are required to identify the need for
assistance and to specify exactly what is required.

This document is a voluntary self-identification form through which
employees with disabilities may identify their need for assistance
during an emergency. The information requested on this form is for the
sole purpose of deploying assistance to the undersigned employee with a
disability during an emergency. The Rehabilitation Act requires that
medical information about applicants and employees be kept confidential
except for that provided to first aid, first responders, and safety
personnel. Thus, DOT may share information about the type of assistance
an individual needs with medical professionals, emergency coordinators,
floor captains, colleagues who have volunteered to act as buddies,
building security officers who need to confirm that everyone has been
evacuated, and other nonmedical personnel who are responsible for
ensuring emergency preparedness under the employer\'s emergency
preparedness plan.

1)  Name
    \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Last First Middle initial

2\) Work Station Location (e.g., Room 2110 Nassif Building)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

3\) Office Phone Number (\_\_\_)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

4\) Cell Phone Number (\_\_\_)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

5\) Home Phone Number (\_\_\_)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

6\) Name of First-line Supervisor
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

7\) First-line Supervisor\'s Office Phone Number (\_\_\_)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

8\) Name of Buddy
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

9\) Buddy\'s Office Phone Number (\_\_\_)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

10\) Your Disability or Condition (e.g., blind/low-vision, deaf,
mobility restricted, respiratory condition)

11\) Type of Assistance Required During an Emergency (for example,
assistance in navigating the building and stairwells during an
evacuation, alternative communication systems, evacuation chair)

12\) Your Work Schedule (example: First week of the pay period:
Monday-Thursday 8:00-5:30, Friday 8:00-4:30. Second week of the pay
period: Monday-Thursday 8:00-5:30, Friday RDO)

Employee\'s Signature
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Date
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

# Privacy Act Statement 

**The authority under which we solicit this information from you is
Sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitative Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. §§ 791
and 794). You are providing this information to us voluntarily. This
information may be used by DOT to assist you in the event of an
emergency. In addition, information in all DOT Privacy Act systems of
records, including this one, may be put to other routine uses (See the
Federal Register of April 11, 2000,**

**(65 FR 19475-19570). The effect on your not providing all or any part
of the information solicited may result in DOT not having enough
information to provide you proper assistance in the event of an
emergency.**