title: Responding to the deaf in disasters: establishing the need for systematic training for state-level emergency management agencies and community organizations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Deaf and hard-of-hearing (Deaf/HH) individuals have been underserved before and during emergencies. This paper will assess Deaf/HH related emergency preparedness training needs for state emergency management agencies and deaf-serving community-based organizations (CBOs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Four approaches were used: 1) a literature review; 2) results from 50 key informant (KI) interviews from state and territorial-level emergency management and public health agencies; 3) results from 14 KI interviews with deaf-serving CBOs in the San Francisco Bay Area; and 4) a pilot program evaluation of an emergency responder training serving the Deaf/HH in one urban community.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results from literature review and state and territorial level KIs indicate that there is a substantive gap in emergency preparedness training on serving Deaf/HH provided by state agencies. In addition, local KI interviews with 14 deaf-serving CBOs found gaps in training within deaf-serving CBOs. These gaps have implications for preparing for and responding to all-hazards emergencies including weather-related or earthquake-related natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and nuclear-chemical disasters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Emergency preparedness trainings specific to responding to or promoting preparedness of the Deaf/HH is rare, even for state agency personnel, and frequently lack standardization, evaluation, or institutionalization in emergency management infrastructure. This has significant policy and research implications. Similarly, CBOs are not adequately trained to serve the needs of their constituents.
authors.affiliation: Health Research for Action, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 2140 Shattuck Avenue, 10th Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA. engelman@berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Engelman
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Ivey
authors.forename: Winston
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dahrouge
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brune
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neuhauser
mesh_terms: D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003638:Deafness / Q000628:therapy*; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000592:standards*; D004190:Disasters; D060731:Emergency Responders / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000379:methods; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012495:San Francisco; D013219:State Government; D014505:Urban Population; D000078329:Workforce