During fire drills, lockdowns, and real emergencies, students with disabilities are too often forgotten or left behind.

Niamh Winright, who lives with autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis and uses a cane, told CBS News her worst nightmare began with a loud bang.

"Then came the sound of shattering glass and the piercing echoes of gunfire. Reality set in. She was caught in the middle of a school shooting". Her cane was knocked off. In that moment, she recalled "she never felt more trapped by her disability. When police officers arrived, they rushed students out of the building — every student except for Winright."

There is no federal law requiring public schools to create individualized emergency and evacuation plans for students with physical, sensory, cognitive, or developmental disabilities.

This is a dangerous and unacceptable gap.

"The idea that it doesn't already exist is kind of shocking," said Virginia lawmaker, Delegate Laura Jane Cohen, a former educator and the parent of a child with autism.

Cohen sponsored a Virginia law requiring public schools to have discussions to make an individualized safety plan for emergencies and evacuations for every student with a disability. The discussions need to include plan coordinators, the student and parents.

The bill passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Some states like New Jersey and California have begun to pass laws requiring schools to address this issue, but the majority of states have no such mandate — meaning a child’s safety depends entirely on which ZIP code they live in.

This leaves thousands of students vulnerable every day, in every school building, across the country.

We call on Congress and the U.S. Department of Education to pass a federal law requiring all public schools to include emergency and evacuation plans for every student with disability. 

Ensure all students with disabilities have access to drills and real-time safety procedures.

Emergency preparedness is not extra — it’s essential. And students with disabilities deserve equal protection in every crisis scenario.