Handouts

The Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP) addresses a wide range of advanced communications policy issues and related technology applications, particularly in the wireless and new technology arenas. Some of these activities result in the production of informational handouts, a selection of which are provided below.


This document provides twelve considerations for accessible emergency communications to help guide emergency communications planning for people with disabilities and those with access and functional needs. Also provided is a list of websites and resources with specific information concerning technology, policy, training and education.

This document provides an overview of

  1. the range of connected technologies available to people with disabilities
  2. currently available applications to assist people with disabilities in the workplace, and
  3. challenges and opportunities to increase connected technology usage in the workplace.

This document provides accessibility guidelines for making print and electronic documents accessible to people with disabilities. It outlines specific criteria for making documents accessible. (i.e. simple content for readability and clean typefaces (i.e. sans serif) for appearance, style, and legibility). Also provided are additional accessibility suggestions specifically for the web for people with disabilities who may be using different kinds of technologies/software as aid.

This document provides a description of some apps that can be used to enhance WEA access. It explains different apps, their features and where you can locate them to better understand WEA messages and aid in responding to WEA the messages appropriately. Provided are links to more information for each app.

This document provides assistance to alerting authorities as they create alert and warning messages for the public.

This document provides common misconceptions regarding people who are Deaf and rely on American Sign Language (ASL) and their access to emergency information.

This document provides survey results and findings on the effectiveness of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). The survey includes both respondents with and without a disability. Response to the survey helped to identify gaps in WEA effectiveness and propose recommendations to emergency managers that serve as alert originators, as well as cell phone manufacturers and providers.

This document provides need to know information about Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). It explains what a WEA is, who WEA providers are, your rights regarding WEA and what you should do to access WEA. Remember, WEA messages can save lives. Do not ignore them!

This document provides the background and results of research activities that examined the effectiveness of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to provide messages to people with disabilities. Specifically, the handout includes comparative analyses of the awareness of EAS and WEA messages, the accessibility of the two systems, as well as the types of protective actions taken as a result of the emergency messages.

This document provides step-by-step instructions for locating and customizing settings for WEA access on Android phones' latest OS version 8.0.0. Additionally, it explains how to activate Android accessibility features such as screen reader and screen magnification for people who are blind or have low vision and pulse notification and captions for people who are deaf/hard of hearing.

This document provides an overview of data collected on the experience of people with sensory disabilities when receiving a WEA message. In 2015, a national online survey was conducted to collect data on how people with sensory disabilities experience the Wireless Emergency Alerts System (WEA).