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Access and Functional Needs Advisory Committee

The Access and Functional Needs Advisory Committee is an advisory committee to the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) that was mandated by the Illinois General Assembly through the enactment of Senate Bill 921 in 2021. Senate Bill 921 amended the IEMA-OHS Act to add section 23, Access and Functional Needs Advisory Committee to:

  • Coordinate meetings occurring, at a minimum, 3 times each year, in addition to emergency meetings called by the chairperson of the Advisory Committee.
  • Research and provide recommendations for identifying and effectively responding to the needs of persons with access and functional needs before, during, and after a disaster using an intersectional lens for equity.
  • Provide recommendations to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security regarding how to ensure that persons with a disability are included in disaster strategies and emergency management plans, including updates and implementation of disaster strategies and emergency management plans.
  • Review and provide recommendations for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and all relevant State agencies that are involved in drafting and implementing the Illinois Emergency Operation Plan, to integrate access and functional needs into State and local emergency plans.

The Advisory Committee is composed of the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security or his or her designee, the Attorney General or his or her designee, the Secretary of Human Services or his or her designee, the Director on Aging or his or her designee, and the Director of Public Health or his or her designee, together with the following members appointed by the Governor:

  • Two members from local emergency agencies.
  • Nine members from the community of persons with a disability who represent persons with different types of disabilities, including, but not limited to, individuals with mobility and physical disabilities, hearing and visual disabilities, deafness or who are hard of hearing, blindness or who have low vision, mental health disabilities, and intellectual or developmental disabilities.
  • Four members who represent first responders from different geographical regions around the state.