Creating a “Sensory Safe” Evacuation Plan

Editor's note: This text-based course is a transcript of the webinar, Creating a “Sensory Safe” Evacuation Plan, presented by Kathryn Hamlin-Pacheco, MS, OTR/L.
*Please also use the handout with this text course to supplement the material.
Learning OutcomesAfter this course, participants will be able to differentiate between the experience of a natural disaster from the perspective of a person with and without a disability.After this course, participants will be able to analyze potential challenges that a person with sensory processing dysfunction/disorder might encounter during an evacuation.After this course, participants will be able to identify an evacuation plan that meets the sensory needs of an individual with sensory processing disorder/dysfunction.IntroductionThank you so much for having me. I’m truly excited to be here, sharing this information with all of you. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in. 
I’d like to begin by sharing a bit about how I came to focus on this topic. I am an occupational therapist, but my journey began as a teacher. In the classroom, I gained some familiarity with sensory processing and integration, though, at that point, I hadn’t imagined it would become such a central part of my professional life. When I decided to pursue my master’s degree, I was thrilled to study at Virginia Commonwealth University. Not only does VCU have an excellent faculty, but they’ve also hosted some of the leading figures in the sensory integration (SI) world.
Coming into the program as someone already acquainted with sensory processing, I was eager to deepen my understanding but was skeptical. I never envisioned focusing my career on SI; I assumed it would be one of many areas I’d explore before moving on to something else. However, life has a way of surprising us. My first job out of school was at an SI clinic, and I quickly discovered how much I loved this area of practice. That experience sparked a passion I never anticipated, and I've never looked back.
At the time, I lived and worked in Clearwater, Florida, while my husband served as a helicopter pilot in the Coast Guard. His work often involved disaster response—flying those helicopters you see on the news and rescuing people during or after hurricanes. Because of the nature of his job, our family became deeply immersed in disaster preparation and response.
Eventually, I started to notice an overlap between our worlds. Many of the families my husband was rescuing during hurricanes were those who either couldn’t evacuate or were at high risk during a disaster. At the same time, I was working with sensory kids and their families. I wondered what an evacuation would look like for these sensory families. As I reflected, the answer became clear. For many of them, evacuation would be extraordinarily difficult. For some, it would feel almost impossible.
When I started investigating this intersection of disaster response and sensory needs, I realized no one was discussing it. This gap was critical, and I knew something had to be done. That realization set me on a new path, one where I’ve worked to raise awareness and develop strategies to support these families in moments of crisis.
So, here I am, thrilled to share this information with you. I hope we can illuminate this important issue together and create meaningful change.
Natural Disaster 101I'd like to start with Natural Disaster 101 to get everyone on the same page. We’re very familiar with the idea—and the reality—that natural disasters are increasing in both frequency and severity.
They are on the rise. We’re seeing more of them, and they’re becoming more intense. These disasters affect millions yearly, disrupting lives, displacing communities, and leaving lasting impacts. Understanding this growing trend is essential to preparing for their challenges, particularly when considering how they uniquely affect vulnerable populations, including sensory families. By starting here, we can build a solid foundation for addressing the critical issues ahead.
Who Is At Risk?"Who is at risk for a natural disaster?" In one sense, the answer is simple: everyone. Everyone is at risk for experiencing a natural disaster, and that risk is only increasing.
Take, for example, some of the flooding in North Carolina this past year. It is a powerful reminder of how unpredictable and far-reaching these events can be. In inland North Carolina, particularly in the mountains, many likely would have said no if you had asked families whether they needed to worry during hurricane season. Hurricanes wouldn’t have seemed like an immediate threat to their area. Yet, we saw a hurricane make landfall, bringing monumental amounts of rain. The impact was devastating—homes were flooded, lives were disrupted, and tragically, lives were lost.
This example highlights how natural disasters can affect everyone, even those who may feel removed from the immediate threat. Whether it’s a hurricane, a wildfire, or a tsunami, these events don’t discriminate. They don’t alter their paths based on who or what might be in the way. Their reach is indiscriminate and often surprising, which underscores the importance of awareness and preparedness for all of us.
"Taking the Naturalness Out of Natural Disasters"We can say everyone’s at risk, but we cannot say everyone is at equal risk. To understand this more deeply, I’d like to bring in some research from 1976. In the 70s, some researchers put forward an important perspective that reshaped how we think about natural disasters. They pointed out that these events—whether hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, or tsunamis—are not solely about extreme weather or physical phenomena. Instead, they are the intersection of what they called "an extreme physical phenomenon" and "a vulnerable human population."
This idea resonated deeply with me, especially a particular quote from their paper, open source and available online if you'd like to read it. The quote was simple yet profound: "Without people, there is no disaster."
Think about that for a moment. Imagine the most intense hurricane ever recorded—one with unprecedented rainfall, the highest winds, and more tornadoes than we’ve ever known. If that hurricane landed in an area where no people lived, it would remain an extreme weather event. It wouldn’t be a disaster. It becomes a disaster because of its interaction with human lives. The human experience—the impact on people, communities, and their well-being—transforms these events into disasters.
That realization changed how I think about risk. Returning to the question of who is at risk, the answer remains: everyone. However, understanding that disasters arise from the interface between extreme weather and human vulnerability challenges us to dig deeper into why not everyone is at equal risk. This intersection shapes the scale and severity of what we call a disaster.
Who Is At Heightened Risk?Let’s take a closer look at who’s at heightened risk. I use guiding questions to frame the discussion when I consider this question. I ask: Who’s more likely to be in the path of a natural disaster? Who’s less likely to be adequately prepared for such an event? And finally, who’s less likely to be able to move out of harm’s way or to shelter in place safely?
Exploring these questions reveals significant disparities in risk. Not everyone has the same capacity or resources to prepare for, respond to, or recover from a disaster. Vulnerability is shaped by social, economic, and physical factors, creating heightened risks for certain populations.
One group that consistently emerges in the research is individuals with disabilities. The intersection of disability and disaster vulnerability often amplifies the challenges these individuals face. Critical factors include mobility limitations, difficulty accessing emergency alerts or clear communication, and insufficient support systems for evacuation or sheltering in place. By examining this evidence, we can better understand why these heightened risks exist and, more importantly, what can be done to mitigate them.
This exploration is vital because disasters don’t discriminate in their paths, but the ability to prepare, respond, and recover is not equally distributed. Recognizing these disparities is the first step toward meaningful solutions.
Beyond disability, we must also draw on a broader scope of evidence. Individuals experiencing poverty, those who are underemployed, or those with limited education are disproportionately impacted by natural disasters. These factors, while distinct, often overlap and compound one another, creating systemic barriers to resilience. While this presentation doesn’t allow us to delve deeply into the intersections of these factors, they are visually represented in Figure 1, which provides a snapshot of how these vulnerabilities overlap. Understanding these broader patterns is essential for addressing the full spectrum of heightened risk in the face of natural disasters.

Figure 1. The intersection of vulnerabilities that are at heightened risk.
For instance, people with a disability are more likely to live in poverty, and conversely, individuals living in poverty are more likely to have a disability. There is a clear overlap between these factors, allowing us to draw on neighboring evidence to understand better who is at risk.
I hope to emphasize today that it’s not just abstract populations at risk—it’s our families. The families we work with, care for, and support are often among the most vulnerable.
Let’s begin by looking at information from the U.S. Census Bureau. They explore this exact question: Who is at heightened risk? Their research focuses on community...