FEMA Advisory: FEMA Celebrates Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary with Accessibility Advancements

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent this bulletin at 07/26/2023 05:15 PM EDT

FEMA Advisory

FEMA Celebrates Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary with Accessibility Advancements

As the nation celebrates the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), FEMA commemorates its ongoing efforts to advance accessibility in the agency’s mission to help people before, during and after disasters.

The ADA guides FEMA’s commitment to improving services and programs to be equitably available to people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.

“FEMA’s people-first approach is about ensuring our programs are accessible to all disaster survivors,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “From ensuring survivors in wheelchairs can access our disaster recovery centers, to updating our websites to support screen readers, to offering sign language interpretation, our commitment to meaningful and full access to our programs is driven by our core values of compassion, fairness, integrity and respect.”

When the act passed in 1990, it provided civil rights legislation that protects people with disabilities from discrimination by federal agencies and federally funded programs. The law ensures that FEMA and our partners have a strong foundation to work together so that disaster survivors with disabilities have equitable access to services and programs, while preserving their independence.

To support the disability community, FEMA made equity in emergency management one of the top goals in its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. In support of this plan the agency has:

  • Improved the survivor registration intake process nationwide, expanding disability-related questions, making it easier for people with disabilities impacted by disasters to get the assistance they need.
  • Continued updating the FEMA App, available in English and Spanish, so that it is now more accessible to people with disabilities. The app is screen reader compatible on iOS (11.0 and later) and Android (5.0) devices. The user interface has also been redesigned to fit a wider variety of screen sizes, making it easier for users to interact with it on their preferred device.
  • Worked extensively with state, local, tribal and territorial officials, and nongovernmental and private sector partners and stakeholders to facilitate ADA compliance. This includes removing physical, communication and programmatic barriers that people with disabilities could face.
  • Designed programs, services, policies and procedures to include the needs of people with disabilities before disasters happen, rather than solely reacting to barriers that are identified during response and recovery.

Nationwide, disability stakeholders are part of the agency’s whole-community approach and work with FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) teams to create a path to independence for people with disabilities impacted by disasters.

“The ADA drives the future of community resiliency, enablement and universal access for all members of a community,” said FEMA Disability Coordinator and ODIC Director Sherman Gillums, Jr. “Founded on the principles of the ADA, we bring effective communication, expanded structural access and equitable opportunities for all to function as members of society. These are the conditions required prior to disaster that will shorten the disaster cycle for all survivors.”

 

5 Ways FEMA Honors the Americans with Disabilities Act

Director Sherman Gillums in the National Response Coordination Center FEMA Disability Coordinator and Office of Disability Integration and Coordination Director Sherman Gillums Jr. shares how FEMA continues to improve how the agency uses guidance from the Americans with Disabilities Act to help survivors before, during and after disasters.

The Office of Disability Integration and Coordination is the hub of FEMA's work to improve policies, procedures, operation and support for disaster survivors with disabilities. We focus on ensuring the equity and inclusion of people with disabilities into all aspects of disaster preparedness and emergency management. 

Here are five ways we are using the guidelines presented in the ADA to improve the way we do things at FEMA: Read the blog.

To learn more about FEMA’s support to people with disabilities, go to Office of Disability Integration and Coordination | FEMA.gov.

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