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Issue 2: Spring
About the Interagency Coordinating Council

Photo: President George W. Bush posing with disabled individuals aroudn his desk in the Oval Office.
President George W. Bush signs an executive order for individuals with disabilities in emergency preparedness Thursday, July 22, 2004 in the Oval Office.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Offi ce for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties oversees the implementation of Executive Order 13347, Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness, which was signed by President Bush in July 2004. This Executive Order is designed to ensure the safety and security of individuals with disabilities in all-hazard emergency and disaster situations. To this end, the Executive Order created an Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities. The ICC is comprised of senior leadership from more than 20 federal departments and agencies. Its mission is to ensure that people with disabilities and their specifi c needs are fully integrated into all aspects of our nation’s emergency management system, including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The Secretary of Homeland Security is the Chair of the ICC, and he has delegated that role to Mr. Daniel Sutherland, the DHS Offi cer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The Council has concentrated its work in eight major areas:

  1. Emergency Communications;
  2. Emergency Preparedness in the Workplace;
  3. Emergency Transportation;
  4. Health;
  5. Private Sector Coordination;
  6. Research;
  7. State, Local and Tribal Government Coordination; and
  8. Technical Assistance and Outreach.

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