As Hurricane Irma sped toward Florida last year, officials called a news conference urging residents to seek higher ground. 

They gave deaf viewers a much different set of instructions, via the unqualified interpreter standing next to them: “Need be bear monster,” he signed. “Toys for who Mexican.”

The fiasco underscored the need for professional interpretation, captioning and other services in emergency situations. But in Arizona, those services still aren’t consistently available.

Senate Bill 1296, introduced by Sen. Sean Bowie, would compel the state, counties, cities and towns to ensure that emergency communications for people with disabilities “are equally as effective” as communications for those without.

Requirements during disasters would include making “auxiliary aids and services” available and establishing a system for securing licensed interpreters. 

“The goal here is primarily with emergency broadcasts, for example if there’s a big wildfire or something,” said Bowie, D-Phoenix. “This asks cities, counties and the state to have a protocol in place to abide by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).”

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The ADA generally doesn’t demand changes that would “impose undue financial and administrative burdens” on emergency-management programs, but it does require governments at all levels to provide people with disabilities equal access to information.

“People who are deaf will not hear radio, television, sirens, or other audible alerts,”  the Department of Justice says in its ADA-compliance guide. “Those who are blind or who have low vision may not be aware of visual cues, such as flashing lights.

“State and local governments need to use warning methods that ensure all residents and visitors will have the information necessary to make sound decisions and take appropriate, responsible action,” the department says.

Though the Arizona bill doesn’t explicitly define “auxiliary aids and services,” the ADA provides an extensive list that includes qualified interpreters and note-takers, captioning services, and materials printed in Braille or large fonts.

Carmen Green Smith, deputy director of the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, described the state bill as “a great idea” that’s long overdue.

More than 1 million Arizonans are deaf or hard-of-hearing alone, she said, so there’s “always potential” that a disaster will affect people with disabilities.

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The commission began pushing for more accessible communications long before Bowie introduced the legislation, partnering with the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to launch a training for interpreters and real-time captioners.

The three-day Emergency Response Interpreter Credentialing program explains how emergencies evolve, outlines common hazards in Arizona and defines emergency-management terminology so graduates can quickly provide accurate information when deployed during emergencies.

“We’ve always wanted there to be equal access to emergency information, just like any other public health and safety issue,” Green Smith said. “Equal access is a must for all to be informed.”

It wasn’t immediately clear which aids or services municipal governments might already have in place. Ken Strobeck, executive director of the League of Cities and Towns, expressed concern about “another mandate” from the state Legislature if the bill advances, saying there are already “zillions of bills that are preempting us this year.”

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