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A Disaster Recovery 

Center provides information 

and assistance to survivors 

in their community so they 

can begin their recovery process

To ensure that FEMA is meeting 

the needs of the whole community 

we need to provide equal access 

to our services   This means 

equal access to our buildings

to our programs and to the 

way that we communicate 

information to the survivor

Because you are working 

in a DRC you are an important

link in this chain of service 

DRC by law must be placed 

in a building that is in 

compliance with the Americans

with Disabilities Act  

Materials in alternate 

formats and assistive 

technology must be provided

for those that need it 

With the additional 

equipment come additional 

space requirements and 

additional data lines

It is the responsibility

of the DRC manager to 

ensure that during the 

DRC set up the new equipment

and symbol signage is displayed 

appropriately the signage has 

been designed to be universal

so if a DRC visitor has 

limited English proficiency 

they will understand the message

by the symbols The language 

interpretive board provides a 

method for the visitor to request

a translator through the helpline

In addition, the Just Ask poster 

is printed as a card and placed

on the desk of the receptionist

as well as on the wall of the DRC

The poster lists the various assistive

technology devices and accommodations

that are available For individuals

who have low vision or who are blind

we have available materials in Braille

Large Print and CD format

There is magnifying equipment

such as a table top lighted 

magnifier and the hand held 

magnifier There is assistive

listening devices for individuals

who are hard of hearing who may 

need sound increased and clarified

When handing the device

to the applicant make 

sure they know how to 

turn it on and how to 

adjust the volume

The amplified phone 

works exactly like the

desk phones in the DRC

The difference is the 

number keys are larger 

and include Braille  

It can operate as a speaker

phone for people who need 

hands free and include volume

control to increase or decrease

the sound The person can 

adjust it themselves to 

meet their own individual

needs A captioned telephone

is provided for someone 

who is deaf or is hard of hearing

In addition to the ability to 

adjust the volume the phone

has a feature that transcribes

voice dialogue into text 

allowing the person 

who is hard of hearing

or deaf to read captions

of what the other party is

saying in real time    

The TTY phone is for 

people who are deaf

hard of hearing or 

have a speech disability

using the phone to communicate

by allowing them to type

text messages The TTY 

is required at both ends 

of the conversation in 

order to communicate 

Though technology has 

improved significantly 

many people no long use 

TTY but instead use video phones

it is still important to have 

the TTY machine available

The Video Relay Service (VRS)

is another phone communication 

system but is used through the 

computer People who are deaf 

and use sign language communicate 

through a videophone This service

allows people who use 

sign language to have

a telephone conversation

with people who do not use

sign language Using a 

videophone with real time 

video connection a sign 

language interpreter relays

the conversation between 

the two parties VRS can 

only be used when a signer

and a nonsigner want to 

talk to each other via the phone  

Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) 

is a service that allows a hearing 

person and a person using sign

language to talk to each other

in the same room This is also

accessed through the computer 

Both parties will be able to 

see and hear the interpreter 

on the computer screen with 

the interpreter facilitating

the conversation this is an 

extremely helpful service 

when a survivor needs to talk 

immediately to the DRC specialist

However there are some instances

when a qualified onsite interpreter

is more appropriate  So let the 

person know that there is VRI 

and a qualified on

line sign interpreter 

that can be scheduled 

and let them choose

Given the statistics 

provided by the US Census

as a DRC specialist you 

should expect approximately

20 percent or more of your 

visitors to have a

disability and at least 

50 percent of all visitors 

may have some access 

and functional need 

and will benefit from 

these supports and 

services provided

At FEMA we are committed 

to providing equal access 

through the use of assistive 

technology and accommodations

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