FEMA CELEBRATES AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ANNIVERSARY WITH
ACCESSIBILITY ADVANCEMENTS
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20230726/fema-celebrates-americans-disabilities-act-anniversary-accessibility]


Release Date: 
July 26, 2023 

WASHINGTON -- 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
[https://www.fema.gov/about/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
[https://www.fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-products],
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.”

To learn more about FEMA’s support to people with disabilities, go
to Office of Disability Integration and Coordination | FEMA.gov.
[https://www.fema.gov/about/offices/disability]

Visit the FEMA Blog
[https://www.fema.gov/blog/5-ways-fema-honors-americans-disabilities-act]
to read more on how the agency honors the ADA before, during and after
disasters.