Situational Disabilities and Shared SA devices: Insights from Full-Scale Emergency Exercises

Abstract

This study examines how situational disabilities (SDs) act as barriers to situational awareness (SA) in multi‑organisational emergency response, using empirical data from four full‑scale crisis exercises (2022–2025) in Norway. Drawing on Endsley’s SA framework and models of disability (medical/social/ICF), we combine observations, qualitative interviews and open-ended survey responses to explore how contextual factors, device design, and human stress interact to produce Situational Disabilities (SD) that degrade perception, comprehension, and projection. Findings show pronounced sensory SDs (auditory masking and reduced verbal communication), device‑induced SDs (auto‑muting of radio channels, small screens, fine‑motor requirements incompatible with gloves), and cognitive SDs (information overload, attentional tunnelling, SA-level lock‑in). SDs often amplify Endsley’s SA “demons” by creating emergent socio‑technical accessibility barriers: protective equipment, noise, extreme weather, and interface affordances frequently prevent actors from receiving or acting on critical shared information. We argue that crisis systems and Shared SA devices must be designed with situational‑disability awareness, adopting universal‑design principles, configurable audio/visual channels, and resilient interaction modalities, to strengthen shared situational awareness under real‑world stressors.