Ph.D. Candidate Sakshi Bhati receives award for research on accessibility of state-affiliated disaster response websites

April 5, 2023

Sakshi Bhati, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Leadership Communication doctoral program, was recently selected as one of the top three papers in the Strategic and Applied Communication division at the Central State Communication Association convention (CSCA) in St. Louis.

Bhati’s paper, titled "Ready.gov: Who’s Ready, Really? Examining Principles of Inclusivity and Universal Design in Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness Public Information Websites," used data analysis to assess the accessibility of Ready.gov state-affiliated websites dedicated to public information for emergency preparedness and disaster response.

Bhati found that website and document accessibility failures were detected in the majority of the Ready.gov websites assessed, hindering accessibility and adaptability of information for vulnerable populations including persons with disabilities and those with low English proficiency.

“In this advancing web-based information dissemination environment, web accessibility must be improved to foster inclusivity for disabled and low-English proficient audiences, especially those relying directly on public information sources for emergency management,” Bhati said.

As a graduate student panelist at CSCA this year, Bhati knows and values the importance of communication.

"Fostering inclusivity through research and applied practices is what communication is all about," Bhati said.