Emergency alert systems and methods for differently abled persons

A computer implemented method comprising:

• receiving, at a user equipment, a text-based emergency notification message;
• displaying, at a user interface of the user equipment, at least a portion of the text-based emergency notification message;
• issuing, at the user equipment and based on a first factor, an audible alert signal corresponding to the received text-based emergency notification message,
• wherein the audible alert signal is issued with an attribute, and
• wherein the attribute of the audible alert signal is based on the first factor comprising one or more of:
• a type of the text-based emergency notification message, a severity level of the text-based emergency notification message, a type of the user equipment, a location of the user equipment, or prior behavior of a user of the user equipment;
• computing a threshold period of time based on the first factor,
• wherein the attribute for the audible alert signal is based on the first factor;
• and
• when an acknowledgement to the audible alert signal is not received from the user within the threshold period of time or when an alert text-to-speech feature is enabled, audibly playing, at the user equipment, an audio rendition of at least some of the content of the text-based emergency notification message.

A mobile communications device, comprising:

• at least one transceiver;
• at least one microprocessor;
• and
• a computer readable memory, the computer readable memory holding instructions that, when executed by the at least one microprocessor, cause the mobile communications device to:
• receive a text-based emergency notification message;
• issue, at the mobile communications device and based on a first factor, an audible alert signal corresponding to the received text-based emergency notification message,
• wherein the audible alert signal is issued with an attribute, and
• wherein the attribute of the audible alert signal is based on the first factor comprising one or more of:
• a type of the text-based emergency notification message, a severity level of the text-based emergency notification message, a type of the mobile communications device, a location of the mobile communications device, or prior behavior of a user of the mobile communications device;
• compute a threshold period of time based on the first factor,
• wherein the attribute for the audible alert signal is based on the first factor;
• when an acknowledgement to the audible alert signal is not received from the user within the threshold period of time or in response to recognition that the user associated with the mobile communications device is not capable of responding to a displayed text-based emergency notification message, audibly play, at the mobile communications device, an audio rendition of at least some of the content of the text-based emergency notification message.