Advocating for Accessible Emergency Alerts

Disclaimer The information presented in any of the Demand Our Access podcast episodes, on the Demand Our Access website, or otherwise shared in conjunction with or through association with the Demand Our Access project is expressly not individual legal advice. Applying the law depends on the circumstances and events that comprise every situation. Since legal advice is fact-specific, nothing about the Demand Our Access project can provide an individual, a group of individuals, or any organization legal advice. Introduction In this episode, we will be continuing our look at emergency preparedness. Specifically, we are going to look at how we can advocate for emergency alerts that are accessible to those of us with disabilities. Questions and Comments I greatly appreciate your feedback. If you want to contact me about this episode, or about Demand Our Access in general, you can fill out the contact me form on the Demand Our Access website. If you prefer email, you can write me at Jonathan@DemandOurAccess.com. The Next Episode The next live episode of the Demand Our Access podcast will be on Saturday, April fourth at two Eastern. As of now, I don’t have a topic for that episode. If you have suggestions, let me know. Advocating for Accessible Emergency Alerts Introduction to Advocating for Accessible Emergency Alerts In continuing our look at the life-saving work of ensuring our state and local governments include those of us with disabilities in their emergency preparedness plans and operations, I thought I would demonstrate how we can advocate for accessible and inclusive emergency preparedness by working through a specific, narrow example. Since emergency alerts are the most important part of emergency preparedness because they warn us of pending emergencies, tell us what to expect, and tell us what we should do, it makes sense to focus this discussion on emergency alerts. If people find this episode helpful, I would be happy to continue this kind of work in future episodes. We could consider discussing advocating for accessible transportation during emergencies, sheltering, or something else. In order to help us better advocate for accessible emergency alerts, I will first briefly describe the basics of accessible emergency alerts. I will then set forth a series of four questions for us to consider. If there is time, we will work through a scenario. The Basics of Accessible Emergency Alerts When a government issues warnings or updates about wildfires, flooding, earthquakes, hurricanes, or warnings of an active shooter (I hated including that one), they are all examples of governments issuing emergency alerts to the public. As you will see, the accessibility of emergency alerts are governed by requirements placed on government and broadcasters by the Department of Justice (DOJ) through its ability to define compliance with Title II of the ADA, and by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) through its ability to regulate television and radio broadcasters. The Structure of Emergency Alert Systems The systems for providing emergency alerts are highly technical. In putting this episode together, I have only provided the information I believe we need to advocate for more accessible and inclusive emergency alerts. If you want to learn more about emergency alerts, I will link to sections of the Code of Federal Regulations when this episode is published to the Demand Our Access Website. Wireless Emergency Alerts Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are the alerts that appear directly on compatible mobile phones with a distinctive tone and vibration pattern. Wireless Emergency Alerts are used to transmit presidential alerts, imminent threat alerts, Amber alerts, and public safety messages. Wireless Emergency Alerts are regulated under 47 C.F.R. Part 10 by the Federal Communications Commission. WEA uses cell broadcast technology rather than traditional SMS messaging. That means one broadcast message is transmitted to all compatible devices within a defined geographic area. It does not depend on subscriber lists and does not require prior registration. WEA messages are limited to 360 characters. Originally, the limit was 90 characters. The FCC expanded the limit after concluding that the shorter format reduced clarity and created confusion. The 360-character limit app