Access to Emergency Alerts ncam.wgbh.org/alertswww.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)

Access Alerts Project ncam.wgbh.org/alertswww.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, CD- ROMs, and teleconferences per year

Access Alerts Project ncam.wgbh.org/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.incident.com/access Concept Map

Access Alerts Project ncam.wgbh.org/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.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

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 Draft Information Model

Access Alerts Project ncam.wgbh.org/alertswww.incident.com/access Efforts to Date Presented overview of 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/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.incident.com/access Focus Groups Hard-of-Hearing and Late-deafened Consumers receive emergency information via: Television Radio (if residual hearing) 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/alertswww.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 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/alertswww.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/alertswww.incident.com/access Focus Groups Ideal messages for deaf, hard of hearing and late- deafened 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/alertswww.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 ed alerts

Access Alerts Project ncam.wgbh.org/alertswww.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/alertswww.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 alerts from local tv stations Sirens if in a small or rural community Family, friends, neighbors (secondary source)

Access Alerts Project ncam.wgbh.org/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.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 Cell and amplified phone service Community sirens Conventional Radio (if some hearing)

Access Alerts Project ncam.wgbh.org/alertswww.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/alertswww.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/alertswww.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 Access to Emergency Alerts Marcia Brooks WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) ncam.wgbh.org/alerts