To help entire communities recover from the Nov. 17 Illinois tornadoes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is working to make sure survivors with disabilities and those with functional needs have equal access to disaster assistance programs.

To achieve this goal, FEMA coordinates efforts with state and local agencies and volunteer organizations toentify needs and locate appropriate resources. FEMA has a Disability Integration Advisor on site in Illinois to coordinate the various elements of the program.

FEMA provides physical access to facilities and reasonable program modifications as needed. For example, brochures are translated into large print, Braille and most languages. Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) are accessible to people with disabilities, and assistance is offered to complete forms. Amplified phones, assisted listening devices, captioned phones, magnifiers, Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) and Video Relay Services (VRS) re available at DRCs. On-site interpreters, including American Sign Language interpreters, are available upon request.

Notify FEMA staff if you need an accommodation during part of the assistance process.

Disaster assistance grants are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, medical waiver programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance.

It is not necessary to visit a DRC to register with FEMA. Individuals can register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. People who use 711-Relay or VRS can call 800-621-3362.

Multilingual phone operators are available on the FEMA helpline. Choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages.