Preparing with a Disability
Standard emergency advice assumes you can hear the siren, read the alert, climb the stairs and carry the bag. If that is not your situation, you need a plan built around how you actually live. You are the expert on your own needs. Write them down before someone else has to guess.
1. Build a personal support network
- Choose at least three people who can help: at home, at work and in your neighbourhood.
- Show them how your equipment works and how to assist you safely.
- Give a spare key to someone you trust.
- Agree how you will check on each other if phones stop working.
- Tell your personal assistant or care service about your plan, and ask about theirs.
2. Write your needs on one page
- Medicines, doses, allergies and conditions.
- How you communicate best, and how to assist you.
- Equipment you depend on, with models and serial numbers.
- Contacts: family, doctor, assistant, supplier of your equipment.
Keep copies in your kit, your bag and with your support network.
3. Plan by need
Mobility
- Know every accessible exit at home and at work, and what you will do if the lift stops.
- Keep a manual wheelchair or lightweight aid as a backup to powered equipment.
- Keep a tyre repair kit and gloves if you use a wheelchair.
Powered medical and assistive devices
- Keep batteries charged and have a backup: spare batteries, a power bank or a car charger.
- Ask your electricity company whether they register customers who depend on medical equipment.
- Know how long each device runs without mains power.
Hearing
- Enable text and vibration alerts on your phone. Keep spare hearing aid batteries.
- Keep pen and paper in your kit. Ask a neighbour to alert you in person.
Vision
- Mark supplies with large print, braille or tactile labels.
- Keep a spare cane. Practise your evacuation routes.
Cognitive and communication needs
- Keep the plan short, with pictures or simple steps.
- Carry a card that explains how to communicate with you.
- Pack familiar items that reduce stress: headphones, a comfort object.
Service animals
- Pack food, water, a lead and papers for your animal. See Pets and animals.
4. Add to your kits
- Extra medicines, at least one week when possible.
- Spare batteries and chargers for every device.
- Catheters, dressings, hygiene or other medical supplies you use daily.
- Your one-page needs summary.
Then follow Make a Plan, the home kit and the go-bag.
Sources
Educational material. Always follow instructions from your local authorities and your healthcare providers. Last reviewed: November 2026.