Emergency Preparedness

The Live Well Collaborative
Cincinnati, OH
Fall 2025
Design Research Co-Op

Emergency Preparedness is a curriculum for employees with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities with a goal of fostering trust among all employees, supplement implementation, develop awareness and accessibility of resources to support employee well-being.

This project was awarded 2025 dmi: Design Value 3rd Place Award Winner

The Challenge

Individuals with IDD are entering the workforce in growing numbers, yet they are often asked to complete training that wasn’t created with their learning needs in mind. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and Project SEARCH, a national organization that helps individuals with disabilities find meaningful employment, recognized this gap and turned to the Live Well Collaborative for help.

The Process

The team conducted 20 interviews: Project SEARCH interns, CCHMC employees with IDD, instructors, and external experts from the World Institute on Disability and public schools in Ohio.

These interviews uncovered pain points:

Existing training materials were wordy, abstract, and unengaging for neurodivergent learners
Emergency scenarios were depicted in ways that increased anxiety or confusion
Materials were inconsistently addressing diverse learning styles

From this research, the team developed core opportunity areas: improving communication between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals, reducing sensory overload in emergencies, and designing content for multi-modal learning.

With insights and opportunities in hand, the team entered the ideation and prototyping phases by going back into Project SEARCH classrooms to test different content formats, visual styles, and modes of delivery with the very people they were designing for.

The Result

The result was a modular, interactive curriculum addressing four major emergency scenarios: Active Shooter, Stop The Bleed, Fire Safety, and Hospital Safety. Each module includes: Microsoft PowerPoint deck easily editable by instructors, printed interactive workbook with individual and group activities, and a deck of conversation-starter playing cards to spark discussion and reinforce learning.

To ensure accessibility, the materials were designed with clear and concise language, high-contrast visual design, simple illustrations that support comprehension, and flexibility in printing and reproduction. The team also created implementation guides that help instructors understand how to effectively use the materials, including communication tips and recommended pacing for learners with IDD.

The Impact

Operational & Financial Efficiency through streamlined onboarding saving time for instructors and employees in addition to pen-source curriculum reduces training costs across institutions.
Inclusive organizational culture through shifting inclusion from accommodation to a standard practice by trengthens empathy, equity, and workforce adaptability.
Educational and social impact by filling a critical gap in emergency training for individuals with IDD while promoting safety, autonomy, and confidence in high-stress situations. This toolkit supports 50,000+ Project SEARCH interns globally and is freely accessible to benefit schools, hospitals, and families.

Deliverables handed off, implemented, and commercialized by Cincinnati Children’s.

Ellie Joyce