Article

OBJECTIVES: To determine the percentage of full-time wheelchair users with spinal
cord injuries who felt they could evacuate from various locations, and the
percentage who have a plan for evacuation. Study results will help clinicians and
emergency officials understand needs related to evacuation preparedness. DESIGN:
Convenience sample survey. SETTING: Six Spinal Cord Injury Model System centers,
part of the national database funded through the Department of Education,
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. PARTICIPANTS:
People (N=487) with spinal cord injuries who use a wheelchair more than 40 hours
a week. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The percentage of
wheelchair users who felt they would be able to safely evacuate, had a plan for
safe evacuation, or reported a need for assistive technology and human assistance
to evacuate from various locations in the event of an emergency. RESULTS: The
highest percentage of participants felt they would be able to safely evacuate and
had a plan for work evacuation. The lowest percentage of participants reported
they could evacuate from their city/town in the event of an emergency and had a
plan to evacuate their city/town in the event of a natural disaster. A large
difference exists between the percentage of participants who felt they could
evacuate and those who have a plan for evacuation. CONCLUSIONS: A large
discrepancy exists between the perception that one can evacuate and actually
having a plan. The perception that one can evacuate without a plan or the use of
assistive technology is an area of concern that must be further addressed by
educators. Education must emphasize the need to have a defined evacuation plan
and effective utilization of assistive technology.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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