Emergency Fire-Safety Skills for Blind Children and Adolescents

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Abstract
The efficacy of group emergency fire-safety skills training for blind adolescents was examined. Eight subjects in a residential school were trained to respond to an emergency fire situation under simulated conditions. The intervention consisted of instructions, explicit corrective feedback, behavior rehearsal, social and token reinforcement, and verbal and behavioral reviews. Participants' fire-emergency responses were assessed in simulated emergency situations as well as during unannounced nighttime fire drills. A multiple-baseline analysis across subjects showed high levels of skill acquisition in all subjects during emergency simulations. Further, behaviors generalized to actual fire drills in six of the eight subjects. Results are discussed in terms of: (1) the cost-effectiveness of the group treatment strategy, and (2) the need for additional research in emergency safety skills with the visually handicapped. Limitations of the present methodology are indicated; suggestions for directions future investigations might take are offered.

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