Transcript Challenges for Warning Populations with Sensory Disabilities

Access to Emergency Alerts
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Access to Emergency Alerts: Challenges
for Warning Populations with Sensory
Disabilities
Third International Conference on Information Systems
for Crisis Response and Management
May 15, 2006
Marcia Brooks
Project Director
WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM)
[email protected]
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
The WGBH Media Access Group
The Caption Center (est. 1972)
• Primary audience: people who are deaf or
hard of hearing
• Captions 10,000+ hours of broadcast & cable
programs, feature films, large-format & IMAX
films, home videos, music videos, DVDs, CDROMs, and teleconferences per year
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
The WGBH Media Access Group
Descriptive Video Service - DVS (est. 1990)
• Primary audience: people who are blind or
visually impaired
• WGBH creates DVS for public television and
CBS, Fox, Nickelodeon, and Turner Classic
Movies. More than 200 major home video
releases are available with DVS
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
The WGBH Media Access Group
WGBH’s Rear Window® Captioning and DVS
Theatrical®, collectively known as MoPix
(Motion Picture Access), make movie theaters
fully accessible to audiences with vision or
hearing disabilities.
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
The WGBH Media Access Group
National Center for Accessible Media
(NCAM - est. 1993)
• Research and development facility
• Supports national policy decisions
• Develops technical solutions
• Conducts research
• Promotes advocacy via outreach
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Access to Emergency Alerts
• Three year grant, funded by U.S. Department
of Commerce’s Technology Opportunities
Fund - concludes September 2007
• Awarded to NCAM for its legacy in bringing
together consumer and industry to influence
policy, standards, and technology on behalf of
people with sensory disabilities
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Efforts to Date
• Formed National Advisory Board
– Includes national consumer advocacy
organizations, NOAA/NWS, Mass. Commissioners
for Deaf/Hard of Hearing, and the Blind, Mass.
Emergency Management Agency
• Formed Working Group
– Includes emergency management personnel,
providers of notification services and equipment,
and others
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Efforts to Date
• Working Group, continued:
– Established working group “wiki”
(collaborative editing environment)
– Varied resources
• White papers, project documents in progress,
social science research, focus group reports
– Concept map, to facilitate gap analysis
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Concept Map
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Efforts to Date
• Established Public Access Repository
– Summary documents of user needs
– Design requirements for accessible
products and services
– Usability research
– Subject-related news articles & conference
announcements
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Efforts to Date
Draft information requirements suggest how a
warning message should integrate the relevant
needs of people with sensory disabilities within:
• Database management and information
processing
• Alert distribution systems
• Receiver equipment
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Efforts to Date
• Information requirements drawn from existing
authoritative works:
– National Science and Technology Council “Red
Book” report on “Effective Disaster Warnings”
– OASIS Emergency Management Technical
Committee warning format requirements
– World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines
Draft Information Model
•
•
•
Be compatible with various
transmission systems
Provide warning message
details in:
• Audio and text form
• Image or other visual
form
• Multiple languages
Use multiple forms of
presentation appropriate to
needs of individual
recipients
• Make appropriate use of font
size, foreground/background
color and other visual
attributes in image and text
• Use appropriate language
for comprehension by the
at-risk audience
• Allow extension of info
format to meet future needs
• Facilitate delivery of
message to all recipients
thru multiple channels
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Efforts to Date
• Presented overview of e-mail alert services at “Accessible
Emergency Notification and Communication State of the
Science” conference at Gallaudet University
• Conducted test DTV datacasting transmissions of sample
accessible message (QuickTime movie of bilingual
audio/text, video ASL)
• Established contacts at Massachusetts state agencies, to
develop state model for notification
• Developing partner relationships to conduct testing and
develop demonstration models (NPR, captioned radio)
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Efforts to Date
• With the RERC on Telecommunications
Access, filed comments to the FCC regarding
the Emergency Alert System
• Held two annual meetings with National
Access Alerts Advisory Board in Washington
D.C.
• Completed consumer focus groups
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Convened to solicit direct input from the community:
• How emergency messages are received
• The content and usefulness of messages
• Satisfaction and/or frustration with above
• Ideal delivery mechanisms and message content
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Tech Savvy and Non-Tech Savvy Consumers:
• Hard-of-Hearing and Late-deafened Consumers
(NVRC)
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumers (TDI)
• Blind and Visually Impaired Consumers (AFB)
• Deaf-Blind consumers (Helen Keller National Center)
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Hard-of-Hearing and Late-deafened Consumers receive
emergency information via:
• Television
• Radio (if residual hearing)
• E-mail or news Web sites (text as online video not
captioned)
• Personal devices such as pagers, cell phones,
Blackberries
• From family, neighbors, strangers
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Tech Savvy Hard-of-Hearing and Late-deafened Consumers
Concerns:
• Broadcast weather alerts utilize Doppler/area maps that
make pinpointing locations difficult without benefit of audio
• Power outages, extreme vulnerability in the dark
• Relevance of emergency messages via e-mail diluted by
less than vital information (“high wind” warnings)
• PA systems in public spaces not useful (hearing aids block
background noise)
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Hard-of-Hearing and Late-deafened Consumers Wish List
• Text displays in public buildings
• Hearing aid coupled with a PA system to transmit emergency
messages directly (Bluetooth)
• Portable speech to text device
• GPS in cell phone with local emergency management
agency reachable
• Radio text alerts
• Captioned Internet video, easy to activate, delivered in real
time
• Device to wake you, complete with external power supply
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Ideal messages for deaf, hard of hearing and latedeafened consumers:
• Notification and what to do
• URL for more information
• Develop consistency: keywords, order of info
• Offer hierarchy of notification options/scenarios
• Offer variety of message detail based on device text
display (address problem of truncated text)
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Ideal messages for deaf consumers:
• Establish color codes and keywords for people who
don’t have great English skills (broadcast or text
messages)
• Incorporation of sign language interpreters for
emergency newscasts or e-mailed alerts
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Non Tech Savvy Hard-of-Hearing and Late-deafened
Consumers Ideal Messages
• Messages delivered via existing public tech vs. personal
devices
• Method of capturing TV captioning text if missed or if
scrolling too fast
• LED signs on highways, display alerts in cars
• TV station/channel with text information on full screen
• Neighborhood watch program (though privacy/safety
concern)
• Programs to have police/fire personnel notify household
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Blind and visually impaired consumers receive emergency
information/notification via:
• Radio, television (increasingly), ham radio (fast, direct)
• Satellite radio
• Weather radios that turn on during emergencies
• Automated calls by local emergency agencies
• E-mail alerts from local tv stations
• Sirens if in a small or rural community
• Family, friends, neighbors (secondary source)
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Blind and visually impaired consumer concerns:
• Televised text scrolls and graphics cater to sighted
audience
• TV reporters that say “over here” and “in the red area”
• Diminishing number of locally owned and operated radio
stations (hence availability and reliability of local alerts)
• Stations (tv and radio) that cover wide areas and therefore
don’t provide enough specifics during weather events
• Training of public officials needed, especially around
importance of guide dogs (not a pet)
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Suggestions from blind and visually impaired consumers:
• Improve what currently exists, take what “is” and make it more
accessible
• Broadcast audio warnings in additional languages
• Use beepers to alert users to emergency situation, seek further
info
• 800 number for emergency info in your area
• Phone options preferable to instant messaging
• Dissemination software that can send messages via more than
one type of media/device
• Stick with low tech options to maximize accessibility
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Suggestions on message content from Blind and Visually
Impaired consumers:
• Relatively few complaints on quality of warning notification now
• EAS warnings taken seriously, capture attention, build on this
with tones on other devices
• Improve broadcast weather reports by reducing vague pointing
and “over here/there”
• Concern comes with “what do I do now” post evacuation
(transportation, shelters, etc. when away from home and
tv/radio)
Suggestion beyond current project: Engage local communities of
blind and visually impaired consumers and first responders
similar to TDI’s CEPIN project
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Deaf-Blind consumers receive emergency
information/notification via:
• Family
• Friends and/or neighbors
• Television reports (if some sight, hearing)
• Computer-generated e-mail
• Cell and amplified phone service
• Community sirens
• Conventional Radio (if some hearing)
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Deaf-Blind consumers express frustration or concern about:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Relying on friends and neighbors in time of emergency, what if
neighbors are away?
Need information as soon as possible, not when neighbors can get to
you.
Televised alerts include information that goes by too fast to be useful
Television can sensationalize a weather situation for days leading up to
an event that turns out not to be bad at all
Some deaf-blind users can hear Emergency Broadcast System test on
TV, but not the information that is provided after the signal
Concern that figures of authority (police, fireman) would separate them
from guide animal
Lack of independence, could get worse in shelter
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
Focus Groups
Deaf-Blind consumers most enthusiastic about:
• Potential of Internet to gain information and receive alerts
(weather.com and/or NOAA Web site)
• Greater computer use in general, great technology “literacy”
• Potential of funding subsidies to address technology gap,
perhaps fund emergency alerting devices for this community
• Devices similar to Sidekick with vibrate feature, various patterns
of vibration to indicate type of emergency (like Morse code)
• Expand television alerts during emergencies to include full
screen of information, with slow moving graphics and simplified
text geared to people with residual hearing and sight
Access Alerts Project
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
What’s Ahead
Refine information requirements, informed by
• Usability testing - devices per consumer audience, by
context (home, transit, work)
• Testing transport/transmission platforms by device
• Conduct test implementations and evaluations of use cases
in products and services
• Evaluate message creation techniques
• Continue development of information repository
• Recommendations to Federal government, industry,
emergency management
Access to Emergency Alerts
Marcia Brooks
WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
(NCAM)
ncam.wgbh.org/alerts
www.incident.com/access
[email protected]