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When people with disabilities seek shelter, it is important to work with them <br />individually to assess their needs and to determine the best way to meet those needs <br />without seeming condescending. Many individuals find shelters difficult, being <br />separated from their personal items and familiar surroundings. This can be more <br />difficult and often frustrating, for an individual with a disability. <br />Remember to allow room for persons with mobility issues to move around the facility. <br />When setting up cots or tables, be sure to leave a wide space in case it is needed. <br />There should be a clear and open path to the restrooms and any exits. <br />Excessive snow, rain or debris may make it difficult for guests with mobility challenges <br />to get out of the building in the morning. Remember when making your security <br />rounds to note the conditions outside. You should ensure that walkways and <br />wheelchair ramps stay snow and ice free. <br />For a person who is blind or has a visual impairment, a shelter can pose several <br />challenges. Often cots, tables, and chairs are moved during the day which can <br />interfere with landmarks for navigating through the shelter. The shelter environment <br />may also contain communication barriers. We often use visual means such as signs, <br />posters, and information sheets to convey information. <br />Remember, a person with a visual impairment has the same needs for information as <br />a person who is sighted. Suggestions include the following: <br />o Depending on need, provide a verbal orientation to the shelter facility. <br />. Help with equipment such as phones. <br />o Offer assistance when going through feeding lines. <br />o Assign a cot space in an area with a permanent fixture, such as a wall or <br />column, and where access to other facilities like eating areas and restrooms <br />does not take the individual through an obstructed area. <br />o Post general information in large print. <br />o Offer to read information aloud. <br />Hearing impairments may also vary widely, from hard of hearing to profoundly deaf. <br />However, as with sight impairments, a hearing-impaired person has the same needs <br />for information as a hearing person. Discuss with the person the level of assistance <br />needed to communicate. <br />lf the client communicates through American Sign Language (ASL), ask if there are any <br />workers or other clients who know ASL. lt may be helpful to assign a companion to the <br />person who is deaf, or another client may volunteer to assist.