REPLACES FAQ: IL Emergency Response Services

ACL/ILA Policy on 

Independent Living Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Services

Introductory Note: Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and Statewide Independent 

Living Councils (SILCs) are increasingly playing a pivotal role in addressing the often 

daunting challenges individuals with disabilities and their families face during and 

following a disaster or other emergency. ACL recognizes the enormous importance of 

CILs providing inclusive emergency preparedness and disaster response services to the 

lives, health and independence of individuals with disabilities and their 

families. Moreover, a key element of effective emergency preparedness is to take 

action and put steps in place that are essential to responding to disaster before it 

strikes. The following Policy/Procedure is provided as guidance to assist in emergency 

preparedness and disaster response efforts.

CILs may provide Title VII independent living (IL) services to individuals with 

disabilities who have been affected by a disaster or emergency who live within 

their designated service area and who have evacuated into their service area.

It is important to emphasize at the start that a CIL that receives Part C funding can 

provide IL services to individuals with disabilities living inside its service area at any 

time, including during and after a disaster or emergency situations. CILs provide both a 

set of core services and often additional independent living services that can be critical 

to assisting individuals with disabilities to maintain their health, independence and wellbeing during these times. 
REPLACES FAQ: IL Emergency Response Services

We encourage Centers for Independent Living to rely on each other during such 

periods to meet the critical needs of people with disabilities. ACL strongly 

recommends CILs develop a working relationship with one another in advance of a 

disaster whenever possible. This will enable the network to determine how they can 

best work together to meet the vast needs that will arise. 

While we do not require it, we also urge CILs to strongly consider developing 

Memorandums of Agreement (MOA) to outline steps Centers can take to assist 

people with disabilities in affected disaster areas, including service areas that a 

Center is not assigned to serve. To be effective, such MOUs and similar agreements, 

of course, should be developed prior to a disaster so that it can be carried out if and 

when it becomes necessary. ILA Project Officers will assist with this upon request.

If the area affected is not covered by a CIL, one or more CIL(s) in the general 

vicinity is certainly allowed and encouraged to provide services to individuals 

with disabilities affected. Given the need to provide services quickly in a disaster, a 

CIL does not need prior permission from ACL before providing IL services. 

However, ACL will reach out and request a brief explanation as to how services will be 

provided by the one or more CILs that work in an affected area as well as signatures 

from the CILs providing services. The explanation should include information and 

documentation adequate to allow the Director of the Independent Living Administration 

and others to understand the importance of the CILs involvement and service provision. 

ACL will allow CILs to provide Part C funded independent living services to individuals 

during and after disasters in communities located outside their approved service area 
REPLACES FAQ: IL Emergency Response Services

for as long as the need exists as determined by the Director in consultation with the 

CIL(s) and SILC(s) in the affected area(s).

In an area affected by a disaster where a CIL is already providing services, but 

requires the assistance of another CIL, ACL expects the CIL seeking to provide 

disaster response services to collaborate with the existing CIL serving the area to 

do so. We also strongly encourage the SILC, the Statewide CIL network, the DSE and 

others to work together to plan, prepare and respond to disasters and emergencies in 

as inclusive and effective a manner as possible.

When a disaster or emergency occurs every effort will be made by the Project 

Officer to stay in regular touch with CIL(s) and the SILC(s) in the affected 

areas. Ongoing communication between all parties will enable ILA to assist CILs with 

carrying out their work.

This policy is effective immediately.