Emergency Information Cards: What to Include and What to Keep Private

An emergency information card can help someone communicate a small amount of useful information when speaking, remembering details or explaining a need is difficult. It should be designed with the person who may use it. A card is a voluntary communication aid, not a complete emergency plan or a guarantee of how another person will respond.

This guide offers an original card-planning worksheet for autistic people and their chosen supporters in Canada. It focuses on deciding what belongs on a brief card, what belongs in a fuller private plan and how to keep both accurate. Medical details should reflect current professional advice, not instructions invented from a template.

Decide what the card is for

Start with the situation the person wants help communicating through. They may want to explain that they need time to answer, use a device to communicate or have a chosen contact who can provide information. Another person may prefer a card containing only a short request for written instructions.

Do not begin by filling every field in an online template. Ask what each item would help the reader do. A diagnosis may be information the person wants to include, but the label alone does not explain their communication preferences or individual support needs.

Separate routine access communication from emergency information. A card used to ask a shop employee for extra time does not necessarily need the same details as a card intended for emergency responders. One design can serve both purposes only if the person understands and accepts the information it reveals in each setting.

Connect the card to a fuller plan

Public Safety Canada’s current preparedness guidance recommends individual emergency planning, a trusted support network and information about relevant health needs and assistive devices. Its section on invisible disabilities includes preparing instructions about what helps during an emergency. Read the federal disability preparedness guidance.

A short card cannot hold the whole plan. Decide where more detailed information is stored and which trusted people know how to access it. If essential medical information needs to be readily available, discuss an appropriate format and location with the relevant clinician or emergency-planning service rather than omitting it merely to make the card smaller.

PreparedBC’s planning guidance recommends a shared contact plan, an out-of-area contact and knowing where reliable local emergency information will come from. Read PreparedBC’s emergency planning guidance. A wallet card can point toward that wider arrangement, but a phone number on paper does not establish that the person named has agreed to help.

Choose information deliberately

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada advises asking why information is needed and who will use it, and protecting sensitive identifiers such as a Social Insurance Number. Read the OPC’s personal-information guidance. Apply those questions to the card instead of assuming that more disclosure always makes it more useful.

Consider who could see the card if it is lost, worn openly or shown during an ordinary interaction. A visible badge and a folded wallet card have different audiences. The person may choose a brief public-facing request with more sensitive details kept separately for appropriate use.

Write requests that a reader can use

A useful communication line describes an action. Original examples include “Please give me time to answer,” “I may type my response,” or “Please explain one step at a time.” Use only statements that fit the person. Do not print a universal description of autistic behaviour and assume it represents them.

Avoid phrases that could cause a new medical concern to be dismissed. For example, a card should not assert that every change in speech, movement or responsiveness is simply part of the person’s autism. The card provides context; it cannot determine the cause of a new symptom or replace assessment.

Keep the writing respectful and direct. Do not describe the person as incapable of understanding merely because they sometimes communicate differently. If another person helps draft the card, review it with the intended user in a format they can access, including the practical meaning of each statement.

Make it readable and available

Use a clear typeface, strong contrast and enough space between items. Printing a long history in tiny letters defeats the purpose of a quick communication aid. Read the actual printed version at its intended size, not only a magnified screen view.

Choose a storage place the person can use and tell relevant trusted supporters where it is, with their agreement. A paper copy may be useful when a phone is unavailable. A phone-based version may suit another person, but consider whether it can be accessed in the circumstances for which it is intended.

If considering a QR code or online record, investigate who operates the service, what information is exposed, what internet access is needed and how updates or deletion work. Do not assume a code is private because the information is not printed visibly. This guide does not endorse or test a digital medical-record service.

Review with the right people

In a fictional example, Devon wants a card that explains typed communication and identifies a chosen emergency contact. Devon keeps it folded in a wallet and shows the draft to that contact to confirm the number and role. Detailed health information is handled in a separate, current plan with appropriate professional input. Devon chooses not to put a home address on the routine communication card.

Date the review and check again when a contact, communication preference or relevant health detail changes. Replace old copies in bags or wallets so two versions do not give conflicting information. This maintenance is part of making the card useful, not a reason to collect additional personal details.

Local emergency-management services can explain available planning resources and procedures. A homemade card is not proof of enrolment in a local programme, and it does not guarantee that responders will find it. If immediate danger occurs, seek emergency assistance; do not delay that help to complete or perfect a card.

Common questions