Survey Reveals Gaps In Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities
Impact of National Efforts on States and Communities is Lagging

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Emergency Preparedness Survey

Washington, DC, November 10, 2004 - A nationwide survey by Harris Interactive, commissioned by the National Organization on Disability of emergency managers in states, and large, mid-size and small cities throughout the nation, has found that 69% said they had incorporated the needs of people with disabilities into their emergency plans. An additional 22% said they have a plan under development.

"There is both good and bad news," said Alan Reich, President of the National Organization on Disability. "The good news is that planning is underway, and the emergency preparedness community recognizes that America's 54 million citizens with disabilities comprise a critical population to be served. They are aware of our issues and are willing to address them. It is heartening that the Department of Homeland Security and its agencies are developing and initiating programs that are having a growing impact."

The survey found that among those who currently have a preparedness plan in existence or under development, only 54% had plans for dealing with schools for students with disabilities; 50% did not have a special needs registry that includes people with disabilities; 59% did not have plans for pediatric populations; and 76% did not have a paid expert to deal with emergency preparedness for people with disabilities. Among all respondents, 39% had not purchased specialized equipment; 36% said no special training had been offered, and 73% said no funding had been received to address emergency planning for people with disabilities.

Additionally, among all respondents only 42% said they had a public awareness campaign directed at providing emergency information to people with disabilities - with only 16% of those with a campaign making the plan available in accessible formats (i.e. Braille, cassette, large type, etc.). The survey also indicated that small, and in some cases midsize, cities, include people with disabilities in their emergency plans to a lesser extent than do large cities do.

The study, commissioned by the National Organization on Disability through a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, was conducted to determine the degree to which jurisdictions had taken into account the needs of people with disabilities in their emergency planning and included people with disabilities themselves in the planning process.

Data from the N.O.D. Emergency Preparedness Survey (by Harris Interactive)

The final report of the N.O.D. Emergency Preparedness Survey is available in Adobe PDF and Power Point formats. Detailed results from the survey are also available in Adobe PDF format. Please click on the links below to download these documents.

The National Organization on Disability, founded in 1982, promotes the full and equal participation and contribution of America's 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life. N.O.D. is a nonpartisan organization.

Methodology: The survey was conducted online and by telephone within the United States between August 24 and September 10, 2004 among a nationwide cross section of 197 emergency managers, adults (aged 18 and over) in states, as well as large, midsize, and small cities. Big cities were defined as areas with a population of more than 344,000 people, midsize cities have a population of 150,000 to 344,000, and small cities have a population of 149,000 people or less. These definitions are based on Census 200o figures. All respondents received an alert letter on NOD letterhead that described the purpose of the survey and the importance of their participation. Respondents could choose to participate online by accessing the URL provided in the alert letter or by telephone. All telephone interviews were conducted by telephone using Harris' Senior Council, a specialty team of executive interviewers. Even though the sample sizes are considered small, for nearly all jurisdictions (i.e., state, large city and midsize city) the interviews conducted represent a substantial number of the total possible universe for that given jurisdiction. The results of this survey should be used to understand directionally how and whether emergency preparedness officials are including people with disabilities in their emergency plans.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 7 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population of emergency managers had been polled with complete accuracy. This online sample was not a probability sample.

For more information, contact:

Tim Sullivan
sullivant@nod.org
202/293-5960