School Emergency Safety Issues for Visually Impaired Students

School emergencies cause disruption and fear. For students with visual impairments, there is only additional confusion and disorientation. Addressing school safety issues requires commitment and planning by school staff.

Potential Emergencies

• Potential emergencies at schools include natural disasters such as tornadoes and earthquakes and human-caused problems such as sexual harassment, rape, drugs, gangs, bombs and shootings.

Safety Issues

• Safety issues related to emergencies at schools include recognizing and reporting potential hazardous behavior, protecting teachers and students from violence and successfully evacuating buildings during emergencies.

Additional Issues for Students with Visual Impairments

• Students with visual impairments may face additional safety issues such as the inability to accurately identify attackers, the inability to hear or understand given directions and disorientation during disorderly evacuations.

Safety Responsibilities for Schools

• Schools must develop adequate emergency plans. They must include students with visual impairments in these plans, providing them with extra assistance during emergencies, such as assigning a teacher's aide to ensure safe evacuations.

Safety Responsibilities for Parents

• Parents must advocate for their children, ensure that schools fulfill their responsibilities and help train their children to respond efficiently to various emergency scenarios.

Safety Responsibilities for Students

• Students with visual impairments must fully understand the schools' emergency plans and procedures, participate in emergency drills and learn effective methods to protect themselves despite limits to their vision.