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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 For  Immediate  Release:  News  Media  Contact:  September  21,  2004  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511 
 e-  mail:  rosemary.  kimball@  fcc.  gov 
 FCC  PARTICIPATES  IN  COUNCIL  ON  EMERGENCY  PREPAREDNESS  AND  INDIVIDUALS  WITH  DISABILITIES 


 Washington,  DC  –  On  September  20  the  FCC  participated  in  the  first  meeting  of  the  Interagency  Coordinating  Council  on  Emergency  Preparedness  and  Individuals  with 
 Disabilities  at  the  Department  of  Homeland  Security.  At  the  meeting,  several  senior  government  officials  shared  reports  regarding  significant  new  policy  initiatives  that  will 
 better  integrate  people  with  disabilities  in  the  emergency  preparedness  effort.  The  FCC  was  represented  by  K.  Dane  Snowden,  the  chief  of  the  FCC’s  Consumer  & 
 Governmental  Affairs  Bureau. 
 The  counsel  was  established  by  Executive  Order  on  July  22,  2004,  to  address  the  safety  and  security  needs  of  people  with  disabilities. 


 At  the  meeting,  Snowden  announced  that  the  FCC  issued  policies  and  will  launch  outreach  efforts  to  ensure  that  facilities  that  provide  Telecommunications  Relay 
 Services  for  persons  with  hearing  and  speech  disabilities  are  designated  priority  for  restoration  of  service  in  cases  of  emergency.  In  addition,  he  described  a  rulemaking  by 
 the  FCC  to  improve  the  emergency  alert  system  to  make  it  more  accessible  for  people  with  disabilities. 


 Other  members  of  the  Interagency  Coordinating  Council  in  attendance: 
 R.  Alexander  Acosta,  Assistant  Attorney  General  for  the  Civil  Rights  Division  at  the  Department  of  Justice,  announced  the  release  of  a  new  technical  assistance 
 document,  "Making  Community  Emergency  Preparedness  and  Response  Programs  Accessible  to  People  with  Disabilities."  The  document  provides  assistance  to  local 
 officials  in  making  emergency  preparedness  plans  consistent  with  the  requirements  of  Title  II  of  the  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act.  Mr.  Acosta  also  reviewed  the 
 Department's  work  promoting  emergency  preparedness  for  people  with  disabilities  through  "Project  Civic  Access."  Through  this  program,  the  Department  has  signed  over 
 100  agreements  with  towns  and  counties  across  the  country  ensuring  access  to  their  public  facilities,  programs,  and  services,  including  emergency  preparedness  efforts. 
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