Public Response to Alerts and Warnings on Mobile Devices Summary of a Workshop on Current Knowledge and Research Gaps (2011) / Chapter Skim
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5 Communicating with At-Risk Populations
5 Communicating with At-Risk Populations
Pages 37-45
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From page 37... ...
In the workshop session on commu nicating with atrisk populations, Judy Harkins, Gallaudet University, discussed research performed at Gallaudet University on how best to pro vide alerts to people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Ed Price, Georgia Institute of Technology, discussed research completed at the Georgia Insti tute of Technology's Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wire less Technologies (Wireless RERC)
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From page 38... ...
standard BlackBerry devices that sup port text messaging and are commonly used in the community of people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The Wireless RERC studies were completed before an initial set of requirements for the CMAS program was set forth by the 2007 Com mercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee (CMSAAC)
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From page 39... ...
Telephone emergency notification systems are not particularly use ful for those with impaired hearing, as fewer people with impaired hear ing have a land line, and most telephone alerting systems do not provide a TTY option, which would allow a person who is deaf to receive the calls
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From page 40... ...
During the San Diego wildfires, a local organization posted video communicating in American Sign Language (ASL) for those with deafness, indicating that there were resources as well interpreters at a local shelter.
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From page 41... ...
Most people thought that the combination of text and ASL was better than either one alone, suggesting that ASL may be a desirable capability in future iterations of CMAS. The research conducted by Wireless RERC also found that the com mon terminology used in the National Weather Service alerts, such as "Take cover" or "Lowlying area," do not translate well into ASL and that not all people understood those terms.
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From page 42... ...
For example, reduced fine motor control makes cellular telephone buttons and keys difficult to manipulate, a problem that is compounded for those with arthritis of the fingers. Research looking at the usability of sev eral alternatives -- touch screens, larger keyboards, and voice input -- has found that touch screens are the easiest for elderly persons to use and can enable older adults to achieve performance comparable to that of younger adults.
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From page 43... ...
Cognitive overload or information overload can tax working memory, which suggests the importance of not sending multiple messages in rapid succession and of avoiding overly complex instructions and jargon. All of the factors described above can decrease the usability of cel lular telephones by older people, which is a major factor in reducing the adoption of cell phones by this group.
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From page 44... ...
This was particu larly apparent during Hurricane Katrina, when affected populations first gathered multiple generations living within the area before making a decision on protective action. Language can also create a challenge in receiving messages among populations with limited proficiency in English.
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From page 45... ...
ObSERvATIONS OF WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS The panelists and participants in the discussion following the panel offered the following observations regarding communicating with atrisk populations: • Affordability and accessibility have to be considered in developing warning systems and designing new technologies. A technology that is out of reach for a large segment of the population loses a great deal of its usefulness.
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