U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Washington, DC 20472

www.fema.gov

March 3, 2017

Clyde Terry, Chairperson

National Council on Disability

1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850

Washington, D.C. 20004

Dear Mr. Terry:

Thank you for your communication on January 12, 2017, regarding the status of FEMA’s Office of 

Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC). As you noted in your message, FEMA and the 

National Council on Disability (NCD) enjoy a long history of collaboration and coordination to 

ensure that the needs of individuals with disabilities are met in national emergency situations.

Per your request, I positively affirm FEMA’s ongoing commitment to address the needs of 

individuals with disabilities during all phases of emergency management and our continued work 

with disability partner and stakeholder organizations to deliver FEMA programs and services that 

are equally accessible to the whole community.

In 2010, ODIC was created to fulfill one of the requirements outlined in the Post-Katrina Emergency 

Management Reform Act, establishing a disability coordinator who works in the Office of the 

Administrator. This role is still current, and the disability coordinator, the ODIC director, will still 

work in the Office of the Administrator. ODIC works within FEMA and with external entities to 

enhance our capacity to include and meet the needs of individuals with disabilities and others with 

access and functional needs before, during, and after disaster operations. 

Over the past seven years, the agency developed trainings, including the “Integrating Access and 

Functional Needs in Emergency Planning” course, created new partnerships and strengthened 

existing ones, and built a strong cadre of disability integration advisors and specialists. These 

advisors and specialists deploy to disaster operations, work with other FEMA program offices, and 

engage the community to ensure inclusivity and meet the needs of disaster survivors with 

disabilities.

Today, ODIC’s mission remains the same since its inception in 2010 – to “lead FEMA’s 

commitment to achieving whole-community emergency management, inclusive of individuals with 

disabilities and others with access and functional needs, by providing guidance, tools, methods, and 

strategies to establish physical, program, and effective communication access.” This mission is an 

integral element of FEMA’s strategic priority one – Be survivor-centric in mission and program 

delivery.
Clyde Terry

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Here are some additional actions that demonstrate FEMA’s continued commitment to disabilityinclusive practices:

 In 2016, FEMA approved internal Directive 123-29, Disability Integration and Coordination 

– Inclusive Emergency Management, a formal statement of FEMA’s policy and

responsibilities to provide equal access under federal law.

 In 2017, FEMA will maintain and renew Memoranda of Agreement with five national 

disability support, service, and advocacy organizations.

 In 2017, FEMA will complete a self-evaluation to assess its compliance with Section 504 of 

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 with respect to its public-facing programs and activities. 

FEMA will then establish a plan for addressing existing gaps or barriers.

FEMA remains deeply connected to the disability community at the national, regional, and disasteroperations levels, and will continue to partner with disability organizations to facilitate equal access 

to emergency management. I look forward to our continued partnership and collaboration. For 

additional information or assistance, please contact ODIC’s Acting Director, Christopher Lagan at 

christopher.lagan@fema.dhs.gov.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Fenton

Acting Administrator