Many deaf and hard of hearing people have not planned what they would do if they could not use their hearing devices in an emergency situation. Image: FotoXS/stock.adobe.com. University of Sydney researchers are co-designing an emergency preparedness tool for people who are deaf/Deaf or hard of hearing and are calling for input from hearing care sector representatives....
No actionable clinical practice change at this stage — this is an early co-design consultation seeking sector input, not a completed or validated tool.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing people are a recognised vulnerable group in disaster scenarios, and a co-designed emergency preparedness resource could meaningfully reduce their risk — making this an important equity and public-health initiative for the audiology sector.
- 01University of Sydney researchers are co-designing an emergency preparedness tool targeting Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
- 02A key gap identified: many in this group have no contingency plan when hearing devices are unavailable during emergencies.
- 03The project is actively seeking input from hearing health professionals and sector stakeholders.
- 04The tool is still in development; no outcomes or validated product exist yet.
- 05Participation represents an opportunity for audiologists and specialists to directly influence the tool's design.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing people often lack contingency plans for emergencies when hearing devices are unavailable.
opinionpartially supported