Section 8: Home Safety, Emergencies, and Building Independence

You can't wait until danger arrives to build a plan.

For Deaf+ children, emergencies aren't just overwhelming — they’re disorienting and often terrifying because:

• The cues are invisible (no flashing lights, no signs)

• The language around danger is absent

• The adult response feels sudden, chaotic, or loud

• Their body is flooded with signals they can’t name

Your child needs a visual plan before anything ever goes wrong.

Start With Visual Emergency Drills

Practice basic safety routines as you would any other skill:

• With pictures

• With repetition

• With sign support

• In calm, safe, playful moments

Sample Drills:

• “Fire”: Flash red light, show “GO OUTSIDE” card, walk calmly together

• “Storm”: Play thunder sound, turn on flashlight, go to safe room

• “Sick”: Show “FEVER” or “HURT” card, get thermometer, role-play medicine

Each routine should have:

1. A visual alert (color, image, flasher)

2. Sign(s) paired with action

3. Predictable outcome (where we go, who comes, what happens next)

Create a Personal Safety Binder or Poster

Tool	Purpose
Personal Information Sheet	Name, address, allergy symbols, communication style
Emergency Sign Card	FIRE, HURT, HELP, GO, STOP, SAFE, WAIT
Pain Map	Use to identify body discomfort or medical issue
Trusted Faces Chart	Pictures of who to go to, who can help
Evacuation Picture Map	Photos of exits, routes, and “safe” landmarks

💡 Add these visuals to:

• Bedroom wall

• Fridge

• Go-bag/backpack

• Inside the door of your car

Use Real Tools to Build Familiarity

Let your child:

• Feel the flasher or vibrating alert

• Push the visual alarm buttons in pretend play

• Watch you sign the emergency signs while you act them out

• Practice “HIDE,” “FOLLOW,” “SAFE” as signs with plush animals or figurines

Use modeling like:

• “Look! The light is red. That means GO.”

• “You heard the BEEP? That means we go OUTSIDE.”

Teach Safety Without Fear

You don’t need to scare your child. You need to equip them to feel safe in a system they can access.

Teach:

• “If you’re scared, show ‘HELP.’”

• “If someone is hurt, sign ‘HURT’ and get an adult.”

• “When the light flashes, we look and move together.”

💡 Practice once a week in short bursts. Reinforce with praise and calm.

Support Medical and Stranger Safety

Your child may not:

• Know who is allowed to touch their body

• Be able to describe pain or distress

• Be believed by others

Use:

• Sign visuals for parts of the body (HEAD, STOMACH, HURT)

• ASL and symbol cards for private, safe, unsafe, bathroom, doctor

• A social story about touching, consent, and what “no” means

Build scripts:

• “You can say ‘NO.’”

• “You can say ‘STOP.’”

• “You can show ‘HELP.’”

Practice these with mirrors and role play.

Building Independence Is a Safety Plan, Too

Independence isn’t just a goal. It’s a protective factor against trauma, neglect, and learned helplessness.

Start by teaching:

• How to ask for help with signs or cards

• How to say no and expect adults to respect it

• How to get needs met using visuals, devices, or gesture

• Where things are in the home with labeled pictures

• What to do next when you’re not in the room

💡 These aren’t privileges — they’re survival tools.