Essay Sample on Evacuation of Visual Impaired People

Introduction

Visual impairment is a condition where a person's vision gets reduced permanently, and use of standard eye lenses or glasses cannot restore the person's eyesight. A visually impaired person cannot see properly, or entirely. Use of medical lenses does not offer solution to a visually impaired person. Visual impairment can be partial blindness which leads to low vision, or total blindness whereby a person does not see anything at all. Some of the top causes of visual impairment in the United States of America are old age related, such as cataract, glaucoma and muscular degeneration. Other causes of blindness include eye disorders, defects at birth and eye injuries. Visually impaired people usually experience a lot of difficulties when running away from an emergency or a disaster (Sorensen & Dederichs, 2013). This essay discusses some of the challenges visually impaired people suffer when tragedy strikes and urgent evacuation is required. It goes further to explain the different ways of intervention between visually impaired people and well-sighted people.

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Response to Emergency

Unlike customarily sighted people, visually impaired people are not able to see the source of emergency. They depend on their ears to locate the exact place where the urgency is coming from, and this may not be so accurate. Inability to see makes them develop tension when tragedy strikes. It is for this reason that the blind and visually impaired need assistance when a distressing issue comes (Sorensen & Dederichs, 2013). Evacuating a person with visual problems is different from that of a sighted person. A visually impaired person is at risk of higher danger when the evacuation process does not consider his or her inabilities. When evacuating a visually impaired person, some of the things to monitor include sound and smoke if any. It is worth noting that too much alarm may interfere with the blind person's sense (Sorensen & Dederichs, 2013). Loud noise will make it difficult for the blind to locate clues on the location of the tragedy. Their inability to give accurate location puts them at higher risks of injury. Practicing safety procedure may be necessary to the visually impaired that technology.

Evacuation Process

Visually impaired persons may have some unrealistic demands when dealing with a safety concern (Sorensen & Dederichs, 2013). For this reason, it is recommended that they are taken away from the tragedy area if there were prior signs of the tragedy. However, disaster does not warn so in most cases these people have to be evacuated alongside other people. Some of the obstacle that the visually impaired face in their evacuation includes lack of familiarity with the building, absence of emergency safety equipment, human stampede and unnecessary alarms.

Lack of Familiarity with the Building

It is recommended that everybody working or living in any building should be familiar with the structure. They should be able to identify the location of distress alarms, emergency exit doors and safe rooms. These ensure smooth evacuation of the visually impaired. It is very dangerous having a visually impaired person in a building where he or she is not well versed with as this may be a significant impediment into getting the person to safety (Shields, Smyth, Boyce & Silcock, 1999). Sometimes the evacuation processes for the blind are guided by trained security dogs. By doing this, the dogs take them to the exit, thereby ensuring their safety. Unlike the blind who need strict guidance, sighted people find it easy to evacuate a building without minimal supervision. Perhaps the only advice they need is a person who will calm them down and control them to avoid a stampede.

The absence of Safety Emergency Equipment

A building without safety equipment that can be accessed easily by the visually impaired can pose trouble to their well-being. It is recommended that every building should be fitted with equipment such as alarms, smoke and heat sensors. It is recommended that the alarm system is of gentle and soft sounds since excessive noise from the alarm system may impair their other senses, creating a situation of confusion for them. According to the requirements of the 1995 National Building Code (National Building Code of Canada, 2011), staircases and elevators should have some raised components placed at the point where they get to the door. These raised items are supposed to be interpretable in Braille to indicate the door number. Having these characters at the doors may help the visually impaired identify the door number hence they can tell whichever an emergency exit is and enable them to run to safety in times of distress. Individuals without sight problems, however, find it easy to see all safety signs for a building. They are therefore capable of running to safety very first when need be.

Human Stampede

A stampede happens when many people are trying to pass through a small passage in a limited time. A rush might be caused by fear or anxiety. The first safety precaution in an emergency is trying to get people composed and relaxed. A sober person is bound to make well-informed decisions (Alotaibi, Molloy, Mechem, & Mills, 2016). Once the people are relaxed, they will be evacuated carefully without making them run over each other. A human stampede during an emergency evacuation can get the visually impaired hurt and lost. The blind cannot trace their paths well. Hence they cannot get out of a stampede quickly and safely, putting them to the threat of walked over on the run on by other people. A proper real estate management company should educate their clients and employees safe evacuation processes. The people should be made aware of the safety precautionary practices they should be taking in case there is an emergency.

Evacuating a Sighted person

Unlike the blind, a sighted person can see the environment around him/her either with the aid of glasses or corrective lenses or with plain eyesight (Shields, Smyth, Boyce & Silcock, 1999). For this sole reason, evacuating a person who's both eyes are working is much more comfortable. Assuming the emergency in question is a fire accident, a sighted person will be able to see the point of origin of the fire. They can also see smoke; establish the location of the fire alarms. A composed sighted person in most cases does not need any guidance in the evacuation. Some follow it as a formality. An essential requirement of safety for everybody, blind or not blind, is the knowledge of the building. It should be a requirement for everybody working or leaving in a building. It is essential for a sighted person to be able to quickly locate the safe point, emergency exit, fire alarms, fire extinguishing cylinder and water (Shields, Smyth, Boyce & Silcock, 1999). He or she should be well trained on how to handle and operate this safety equipment.

Basic knowledge is enough to save a life before a professional firefighter arrives. It is generally easier to evacuate sighted people or unless panic takes control of them. Organizing public disaster management talks and rallies address the needs of both sighted and visually impaired people. Proper escape routes, smoke sensors and alarm maintenance can be helpful to both the visually impaired and the sighted (Shields, Smyth, Boyce & Silcock, 1999). Occasional disaster drills proper training on disaster management will help to develop rapid response systems in the brains of the people involved hence enabling them to handle the real disaster with sobriety.

Organizing public education with the aim of making people change their perception of the visually impaired people can increase their chances of surviving disasters of many kinds. For example, when a tragedy strike in a building with blind people, sighted colleagues should be ready to help the non-sighted ones get out of the building safely (Shields, Smyth, Boyce & Silcock, 1999). The sighted people should use their visual abilities in ensuring safety forever one in the building. In an office where both sighted, and non-sighted people work together, it is advisable staff keep track of each other such that in case of a tragedy, one can easily tell whoever is missing.

Conclusion

Visual impairment is a condition where a person's vision gets reduced permanently, and use of standard eye lenses or glasses cannot restore the person's eyesight. While Visual impairment can be partial blindness which leads to low vision, or total blindness whereby a person does not see anything at all, the best way to manage a disaster in a building is through educating the residents on disaster management practices. Some of the most common accidents at homes and in offices include fires. It is, therefore, necessary for relevant safety equipment to be installed into the house and the building in general. Equipment such as a hose reel, fire extinguisher, and fire and smoke alarms are necessary for the home. Institutions and other areas with higher population should have fire assembly points. When offering disaster management education, it is advisable that the physically disabled and the deaf also be considered. They are part of the population and therefore their safety us upon all of us.

References

Alotaibi, B. S., Molloy, M. S., Mechem, C. C., & Mills, A. M. (2016). Human Stampede. Ciottones Disaster Medicine,915-918. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-28665-7.00189-8

National Building Code of Canada.(2011). Fire Safety - CWC. Retrieved from http://cwc.ca/design-with-wood/fire-safety/

Sorensen, J. G., &Dederichs, A. S. (2013).Evacuation characteristics of visually impaired people - a qualitative and quantitative study.Fire and Materials, 39(4), 385-395. doi:10.1002/fam.2200

Shields, T. J., Smyth, B., Boyce, K. E., & Silcock, G. W. (1999).Evacuation behaviours of occupants with learning difficulties in residential homes.Disability and Rehabilitation, 21(1), 39-48. doi:10.1080/096382899298089