Strengthening the experiences of people who are deaf or hard of hearing during extreme weather events and other disasters

An estimated 3.6 million, or one in six Australians, experience some form of hearing impairment. However, their experiences during extreme weather events and other disasters and natural hazards are not well understood or supported. 

This research seeks to understand and strengthen the experiences of people who are deaf and hard of hearing during extreme weather and natural hazards. 

The project will:

• explore the level of risk understanding among people who are deaf and hard of hearing and how to support communication between individuals in this population and emergency planners and responders
• support individual behaviour in responding to emergencies by building on existing strengths and capabilities to develop a set of person-centred emergency preparedness tools
• facilitate the participation of people who are deaf and hard of hearing in hazard risk identification and mitigation
• highlight the roles of government, hearing support technology providers and community groups in strengthening the resilience of people who are deaf and hard of hearing
• use a strengths and capacities-based approach to understanding and strengthening the experiences of people who are deaf and hard of hearing in disaster situations
• identify the vulnerabilities as the gaps between what works well in everyday life for people who are deaf and hard of hearing what becomes difficult, unreliable or inaccessible during an extreme weather event.