Highlighting the need to train persons with disabilities for emergency protocols

While most of us have been feeling helpless in the past week trying to sift through all the misinformation amid the tension between India and Pakistan online it has been an even more confusing time for the Deaf and Blind In the absence of an official SOP for what persons with disabilities should do when the sirens blare or a blackout is declared city organisations have quietly been stepping up to empower them with practical protocols and training without sparking panicWhat should a Blind person do if for instance the sirens go off while they are out and about in an unfamiliar placeldquoDuck under cover and shielding your facerdquo says Shizanne Drsquomello senior coordinator Education at the Xavierrsquos Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged XRCVC St Xavierrsquos College Fort ldquoMake sure to cover your face when you tuck and roll so you donrsquot hit something on your way down to the ground when the sirens go offrdquo she tells five novice Blind students who are at the institute for a training session on Friday Another tells us Drsquo mello is mdash to find and tag along with a sighted guide who can provide visual instructionsSwayam Dedhia and Inshirah ChouhanFor the five of them this is their very first Orientation and Mobility class Drsquomello explains that none of them have had formal training on how to go about in this world without any help ldquoMost of them will now go into college and we are preparing them to move around safelyrdquo she saysTraining at the institute was on as usual mdash how to navigate traffic sidewalks obstructions and more mdash until Thursday night when the tensions flared up further with the neighbouring country reportedly launching drone attacks on Indian cities near the border ldquoI came upon some drill videos on social media and realised that we needed to pass on this information to the students attending classes at the centrerdquo Drsquomello adds And that is exactly what she did putting together available information and merging it with already existing SOPs to help the students feel prepared The ldquoduck and rollrdquo move as well as the act of switching the lights off for blackouts is drilled into them until it becomes muscle memory and shortens their response time in case of an air raidKetan Kothari managing consultant with the institute has an unexpected take on the situation There may be no SOPs in place for the Blind but he believes that they are relatively better off than the Deaf and evenly matched with the abled ldquoI think if an air raid does happen the visually disabled and the abled will be on equal footing when it comes to the lack of information on what to do since there is no material for them as well When out in the open during an air raidrdquo he says ldquoWhere will the sighted go If on the road they too will take cover and duck just like us There are no SOPs for us nor for anyone elserdquoAn ISH News anchor signs for a news video recordingSwayam Dedhia 16 is one of the five students being coached by Drsquomello on Friday afternoon The students look alert but not alarmed information and preparation are helping build their confidence ldquoWersquove been taught to switch off the lights if the sirens blast go under the table and lie on our stomach in case there is actual danger We have also been trained to cover our ears so that our eardrums donrsquot rip Finally we have also been taught to stuff our mouths with cloth so we donrsquot scream in panicrdquo says the teen matteroffactlyDedhiarsquos classmate Inshirah Chouhan seems just as smart and tough ldquoIf we face an actual raid and panic because we canrsquot identify where we arerdquo Chouhan says ldquowe have been asked to take the help of a sighted person We have learned selfreliant techniques as well mdash we are to run away from the noise find a corner and hide If at home we can take the help of family members and take refuge under tablesrdquoRelying on a buddy system or packing a go bag with essentials for quick escape are tips that one would assume anyone can find online with a cursory search but for many persons with disabilities this information is not as easily accessible How many sign language videos have you seen explaining what to do in the preparatory drill that took place on May 7 How many Reels on the conflict are accompanied by an audio description and closed captionsAqil Chinoy and Mansi Shah discuss ISH Newsrsquos signlanguage video disseminating information on Operation Sindoor and dos and donrsquots PicAshish RajeWithout information or SOPs in place to help them persons with disabilities face additional challenges not just in times of conflict but also in emergencies such as pandemics and natural disastersIn 2013 the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction conducted a global survey of persons living with disabilities on how they cope with disasters From the floodprone Thailand to the fire and hurricaneprone US among other countries only 20 per cent disabled people said they could evacuate immediately without difficulty With sufficient time provided this percentage rose to 38 per cent which shows just how important disabledfriendly early warning systems are to improve reaction timeIn Ukraine and Gaza for example Deaf citizens have to rely on their family members or apps on their devices to alert them to an incoming air raid as they canrsquot hear the sirens Closer to home in Mumbai some organisations have had the foresight to arm persons with disability with information and emergency plans Many persons with disabilities have now come to rely on these agencies as trusted sources of information in a world that so easily forgets about themXRCVC students receive training on navigate public spaces safelyOne of these organisations is the Andheribased Access For All which audits inclusive infrastructure and digital accessibility in schools corporates and the hospitality industry It has released a handy guide with inclusive safety and evacuation instructions for persons with disabilities in emergenciesFounder Siddhant Shah started the initiative due to the challenges faced by his visually impaired mother ldquoThe guide includes what to pack in a go bag it changes depending on whether the person has visual or hearing impairment The former needs to pack an extra cane and the latter must carry extra hearing aids if they use anyrdquo explains ShahShahrsquos aptly named guide mdash How inclusive and accessible is your evacuation mock drill mdash has inputs for the Deaf like visual cue cards and signs for common phrases that they can use to communicate with hearing people For the Blind there are tips such as carrying vibrating devices for alerts a prerecorded audio list of emergency contacts a talking watch and a tactile map of the house The guide also recommends that visually challenged people practice exit routes with a family memberThe organisation has also asked corporates and hotels that employ persons with disability to install strobe lights or blue flashing lights to alert their Deaf employees during emergenciesShah who is also a consultant for schools with neurodivergent students found that during the May 7 drills many of the children had an adverse reaction to the noise or the flashing lights ldquoMany neurodivergent children cannot deal with extremely highdecibel sounds or strobe lights because of which they froze in fear We are trying to find a more suitable way to empower themrdquo he addsIn the Lower Parel studio of Indian Sign Hand ISH News a man stands against a green screen and vigorously signs to a camera with animated expressions The end product A video for their YouTube channel that explains what to do in case of an air raidThe news initiative founded in 2017 by Alok Kejriwal has a team of two that run the daytoday operations Aqil Chinoy heads the IT department and Mansi Shah is the interpreter With over five lakh subscribers the channelrsquos audience swelled during the COVID pandemic thanks to its lifesaving informative videos at the timeThe organisation is once again proving itself as a buoy of hope in the middle of another crisis On WhatsApp video call Chinoy signs to us mdash as Shah interprets mdash insisting on using the word Deaf to refer to the communityldquoWhen we were told that a siren would be used in order to inform the general public of an impending raid I became concerned because I would not be able to hear itrdquo says ChinoyThis feeling of being on the backfoot fuelled by a lack of information that is inclusive led ISH News to translate governmentprovided updates and advice on dos and donrsquots into sign language videos The drill video uploaded on May 7 the day of the drills has 3000 likes but it is the comments that stand out to us One comment reads ldquoThank you so much for sharing in sign language My sister and her husband are both mute and Deaf They live alone in Bhuj and I was unable to make them understand this situation of war and mock drills I found your video and sent this to themrdquoChinoyrsquos wife and parents are Deaf as well while his son 8 and daughter 14 are hearing ldquoThe work we do is very important because just like in my home there are many adults in the family who are Deaf It is essential for us to be fully aware and on alert we canrsquot just wait for information to trickle down to usrdquo he addsAsked about the lack of SOPs for persons with disabilities during emergencies Chinoy is not unkind ldquoI understand that right now the government is busy with the current situation but I wish that proper SOPs accessible for the Deaf should be thought and implemented in advancerdquo he addsWhat other countries do thinspThe Palestinian Federation of the Deaf provides information to the Deaf in sign language via WhatsApp groups and they are also provided highvisibility vests so soldiers can identify them as hearingimpaired thinspIn Ukraine an estimated 36000 Deaf citizens rely on text alerts of air raids as they cannot hear sirens thinspIn both countries smartwatches have been effectively used by Deaf and Blind people to receive alerts of attacks as well as inform loved ones that they are alive The same technology is also used in the US to help the hearingimpaired stay informed in case of disastersGet in Touch thinspAccess For All Email reachaccessforallgmailcomto get the guide Call on91 99207 65777httpswwwaccessforallco thinspXavierrsquos Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged91223522329835223300 3522330135223299xrcvcorg Instagram xrcvc_mumbai thinspIndian Sign Language ISH News91 7208684826indiasigninghandscomYouTube ISHNewsatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params