Preparing Makes 

Sense for People 

with Disabilities, 

Others with Access 

and Functional 

Needs, and the 

Whole Community.

Get Ready 

Now.

www.ready.gov

FEMA R-6 - LARGE PRINT

 Get a Kit Of Emergency Supplies 

 The first step is to consider how an 

emergency might affect your individual needs. Plan 

to make it on your own, for at least three days. It’s 

possible that you will not have access to disaster 

assistance, a medical facility or even a drugstore. It 

is crucial that you and your family think about what 

kinds of resources you use on a daily basis and 

what you might do if those resources are limited or 

not available.

Basic Supplies: Think first about the basics 

for survival - food, water, clean air and any 

life-sustaining items you require to maintain 

your health, safety and independence. 

Consider two kits. In one kit put everything 

you will need to stay where you are and make 

it on your own for a period of time. The other 

kit should be a lightweight, smaller version 

you can take with you if you have to leave 

your home. Recommended basic emergency 

supplies include: 

w Water, one gallon of water per person per 

day for at least three days, for drinking and 

sanitation 

w Food, at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food and a can opener if kit contains 

canned food

w Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a 

NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra 

batteries for both 

w Battery-powered or hand crank cell phone 

charger

w Flashlight and extra batteries

w First aid kit

w Whistle to signal for help

w Dust mask to help filter contaminated air 

and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelterin-place

w Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic 

ties for personal sanitation

w Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

w Local maps

w Pet food, extra water and supplies for your pet 

or service animal

1

Preparing Makes 

Sense. Get Ready Now.

The likelihood that you and your family 

will recover from an emergency tomorrow 

often depends on the planning and 

preparation done today. While each 

person’s abilities and needs are unique, 

every individual can take steps to prepare 

for all kinds of emergencies from fires 

and floods to potential terrorist attacks. 

By evaluating your own personal needs 

and making an emergency plan that fits 

those needs, you and your loved ones can 

be better prepared. This guide outlines 

commonsense measures individuals with 

disabilities, and others with access and 

functional needs, and the people who 

assist and support them can take to start 

preparing for emergencies before they 

happen. Preparing makes sense for people 

with disabilities, others with access and 

functional needs and the whole community. 

Get Ready Now. 

This information was developed by the 

US. Department of Homeland Security in 

consultation with AARP, the American Red 

Cross and the National Organization on 

Disability and updated by the FEMA Office 

of Disability Integration and Coordination.

Include Medications and Medical 

Supplies: If you take medicine or use 

medical supplies on a daily basis, be sure 

you have what you need on hand to make it 

on your own for at least a week. You should 

also keep a copy of your prescriptions as 

well as dosage or treatment information. If it 

is not possible to have a week-long supply 

of medicines and supplies, keep as much as 

possible on hand and talk to your pharmacist 

or doctor about what else you should do to 

prepare. 

If you undergo routine treatments administered 

by a clinic or hospital or if you receive regular 

services at home such as home health care, 

meals, oxygen or door-to-door transportation, 

talk to your service provider about their 

emergency plans. Work with them to identify 

back-up service providers within your area and 

the areas you might evacuate to. If you use 

medical equipment in your home that requires 

electricity to operate, talk to your health care 

provider about what you can do to prepare for 

its use during a power outage. 

Depending on your needs, items for 

your Go Kit may include: 

• Extra eyeglasses, hearing aids if you have

them, or have coverage for them

• Extra batteries for hearing aids

• Battery chargers for , motorized

wheelchairs or other battery-operated 

medical or assistive technology devices 

• Copies of medical prescriptions, doctors

orders, and the style and serial numbers of 

the support devices you use 

• Medical alert tags or bracelets or written

descriptions of your disability and support 

needs, in case you are unable to describe 

the situation in an emergency 

• Supplies for your service animal

• Medical insurance cards, Medicare/

Medicaid cards, physician contact 

information, list of your allergies and 

health history A list of the local non-profit 

or community-based organizations that 

know you or assist people with access and 

functional needs similar to yours. 

• A laminated personal communication

board, if you might need assistance with 

being understood or understanding others

• If possible, extra oxygen, insulin, catheters,

or other medical supplies you use regularly 

• If you use a motorized wheelchair, have

a light weight manual chair available for 

emergencies. Know the size and weight of 

your wheelchair, in addition to whether or 

not it is collapsible, in case it has to be 

transported. 

• Even if you do not use a computer

yourself, consider putting important 

information onto a portable thumb drive 

for easy transport in an evacuation. 

Include Emergency Documents: 

Include copies of important documents in 

your emergency supply kits such as family 

records, medical records, wills, deeds, social 

security number, charge and bank accounts 

information, and tax records. It is best to 

keep these documents in a waterproof 

container. If there is any information related 

to operating equipment or life-saving 

devices that you rely on, include those in 

your emergency kit as well, and also make 

sure that a trusted friend or family member 

has a copy of these documents. Include the 

names and numbers of everyone in your 

personal support network, as well as your 

medical and disability service providers. 

If you have a communication disability, 

make sure your emergency information 

includes instructions for the best way to 

communicate with you.

Also be sure you have cash or travelers 

checks in your kits in case you need to 

purchase supplies.

• If you have allergies or chemical

sensitivities, be sure to include items that 

you are able to use for personal hygiene 

and for cleanup. 

Large Print
 Be Informed About What Might Happen 

 Some of the things you can do to 

prepare for the unexpected, such as 

assembling an emergency supply kit and 

making an emergency plan are the same 

regardless of the type of emergency. 

However, it’s important to stay informed 

about what might happen and know what 

types of emergencies are likely to affect 

your region. For more information about 

specific types of emergencies, visit 

www.ready.gov.

Be prepared to adapt this information to 

your personal circumstances and make 

every effort to follow instructions received 

from authorities on the scene. Above all, stay 

calm, be patient and think before you act. 

With these simple preparations, you can be 

ready for the unexpected.

In addition to your personal preparedness, 

consider getting involved in neighborhood 

and community emergency preparedness 

activities. Assist emergency planners and 

others in considering the preparedness needs 

of the whole community, including people 

with disabilities and others with access and 

functional needs. Communities are stronger 

and more resilient when everyone joins the 

team. People with disabilities often have 

experience in adapting and problem solving 

that can be very useful skills in emergencies.

Preparing Makes Sense for People 

with Disabilities, Others with Access 

and Functional Needs and the Whole 

Community. Get Ready Now.

3

2

 Make a Plan For What You Will 

 Do in an Emergency

The reality of a disaster situation is that 

you will likely not have access to everyday 

conveniences. To plan in advance, think 

through the details of your everyday life. If 

there are people who assist you on a daily 

basis, list who they are and how you will 

contact them in an emergency. Create your 

own personal support network by identifying 

others who will help you in an emergency. 

Think about what modes of transportation 

you use and what alternative modes could 

serve as back-ups. If you require accessible 

transportation be sure your alternatives are 

also accessible. If you have tools or aids 

specific to your disability, plan how you would 

function without them. For example, if you 

use a communication device, mobility aid, or 

service animal, what will you do if these are 

not available? If you require life-sustaining 

equipment or treatment such as a dialysis 

machine, find out the location and availability 

of more than one facility. For every aspect 

of your daily routine, plan an alternative 

procedure. Make a plan and write it down. 

Keep a copy of your plan in your emergency 

supply kits and a list of important information 

and contacts in your wallet. Share your plan 

with your family, friends, service providers and 

others in your personal support network.

Create a Personal Support Network: 

If you anticipate needing assistance during 

a disaster, make a list of family, friends and 

others who will be part of your plan. Talk to 

these people and ask them to be part of 

your support network. Share each aspect of 

your emergency plan with everyone in your 

group, including a friend or relative in another 

area who would not be impacted by the 

same emergency who can help if necessary. 

Make sure everyone knows how you plan to 

evacuate your home, school or workplace and 

where you will go in case of a disaster. Make 

sure that someone in your personal support 

network has an extra key to your home and 

knows where you keep your emergency 

supplies. Teach them how to use any lifesaving 

equipment or administer medicine in case of 

an emergency. If you use a wheelchair, oxygen 

or other medical equipment show friends how 

to use these devices so they can move you if 

necessary or help you evacuate. Practice your 

plan with those who have agreed to be part of 

your personal support network.

Inform your employer and co-workers about 

the assistance you will need in an emergency. 

This is particularly important if you need to be 

lifted or carried. Talk about communication 

difficulties, physical limitations, equipment 

instructions and medication procedures. If you are 

deaf or hard of hearing, discuss the best ways to 

alert you in an emergency. If you have a cognitive 

or intellectual disability, be sure to work with your 

employer to determine how to best notify you of 

an emergency and what instruction methods are 

easiest for you to follow. Always participate in 

exercises, trainings and emergency drills offered by 

your employer.

Develop a Family Communications Plan: 

Your family may not be together when disaster 

strikes so plan how you will contact one another 

and review what you will do in different situations. 

Consider a plan where each family member calls, 

sends a text messageor e-mails the same friend 

or relative in the event of an emergency. It may be 

easier to make a long-distance phone call than to 

call across town, so an out-of-town contact, not in 

the impacted area, may be in a better position to 

communicate among separated family members. 

You may have trouble getting through, or the phone 

system may be down altogether, but be patient. 

For more information on how to develop a family 

communications plan, visit www.ready.gov. 

Deciding to Stay or Go: Depending on your 

circumstances and the nature of the emergency, 

the first important decision is whether you stay 

or go. You should understand and plan for both 

possibilities. Use common sense and available 

information to determine if there is immediate 

danger. In any emergency, local authorities 

may or may not immediately be able to provide 

information on what is happening and what you 

should do. However, you should monitor television 

radio internet or social media news reports for 

information or official instructions as they become 

available. If you’re specifically told to evacuate or 

seek medical treatment, do so immediately. If you 

require additional travel time or need transportation 

assistance, make these arrangements in advance.

Consider Your Service Animal or Pets:

Whether you decide to stay put in an emergency or 

evacuate to a safer location, you will need to make 

plans in advance or your service animal and pets. 

Keep in mind that what’s best for you is typically 

what’s best for your animals. If you must evacuate, 

take your pets with you, if possible. However, if 

you are going to a public shelter, it is important to 

understand that by law only service animals must 

be allowed inside. Plan in advance for shelter 

alternatives that will work for both you and your 

animals; consider loved ones or friends outside 

of your immediate area, pet-friendly shelters 

and veterinarians who would be willing to take 

in you and your pets in an emergency. For more 

information about pet preparedness, visit 

www.ready.gov.

Staying Put: Whether you are at home or 

elsewhere, there may be situations when it’s 

simply best to stay where you are and avoid any 

uncertainty outside. Consider what you can do 

to safely shelter- in-place alone or with friends, 

family or neighbors, also consider how a shelter 

designated for the public would meet your 

needs. Work with local emergency managers and 

others in your community on preparing shelters 

in advance to meet the access and functional 

needs of children and adults with disabilities (go 

to www.fema.gov/about/odic to learn nore about 

functional needs support services in general 

population shelters) . If you have options and 

decide to stay put and shelter in place, consider 

that you may be without electricity, phone service 

and accessible roads for days or longer, depending 

on circumstances. 

Evacuation: There may be conditions in which 

you will decide to get away or there may be 

situations when you may be ordered to leave. Plan 

how you will get away and anticipate where you 

will go. Choose several destinations in different 

directions so you have options in an emergency. 

Ask about evacuation plans at the places where 

you spend time including work, school, community 

organizations and other places you frequent. If 

you typically rely on elevators, work with others to 

develop back-up plans for evacuation in case they 

are not working. 

Fire Safety: Plan two ways out of every room in 

case of fire. Check for items such as bookcases, 

hanging pictures, or overhead lights that could 

fall and block an escape path. Check hallways, 

stairwells, doorways, windows and other areas for 

hazards that may keep you from safely leaving a 

building during an emergency, Secure or remove 

furniture and objects that may block your path, 

if there are aspects of preparing your home or 

workplace that you are not able to do yourself, 

enlist the help of your personal support network. 

Contact Your Local Emergency 

Information Management Office: Some 

local emergency management offices maintain 

registries for people with disabilities. Some 

registries are only used to collect planning 

information, others may be used to offer 

assistance in emergencies. If you add your 

name and information to a registry, Be sure you 

understand what you can expect. Be aware that 

a registry is NEVER a substitute for personal 

preparedness. Even if the registry may be linked to 

first responders, assistance may not be available 

for hours or days in a disaster.Contact your local 

emergency management agency to see if these 

services exist where you live or visit www.ready.gov 

to find links to government offices in your area. In 

addition, wearing medical alert tags or bracelets 

that identify your access and functional needs can 

be a crucial aid in an emergency situation. When 

traveling, consider alerting hotel or motel workers if 

you will need help in a disaster situation, as a part 

of your plan.

Finances:

•Arrange electronic payments for your

paycheck and federal benefits. 

•The Direct Express® prepaid debit card

is designed as a safe and easy alternative 

to paper checks for people who don’t have 

a bank account. Sign up is easy, call tollfree at (877) 212-9991 (phone), (866) 

569-0447(TTY) or sign up online at www.

USDirectExpress.com. Signing up for direct 

deposit or the Direct Express card is a 

simple but important step that can help 

protect your family’s access to funds in case 

the unthinkable were to happen. If you or 

those close to you are still receiving Social 

Security or other federal benefits by check, 

please consider switching to one of these 

safer, easier options today.