Access and Functional Needs

Accessibility symbols

What Does “Access and Functional Needs” Mean?

Simply put, people with “access and functional needs” includes individuals who need assistance due to any condition (temporary or permanent) that limits their ability to take action. To have access and functional needs does not require that the individual have any kind of diagnosis or specific evaluation.

Many individuals within the whole community will have access and functional needs during an emergency. For example, a need for assistance to get to a safe place.

About Access and Functional Needs

Individuals having access and functional needs may include, but are not limited to, individuals with disabilities, seniors, and populations having limited English proficiency, limited access to transportation, and/or limited access to financial resources to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the emergency.

Individuals with access and functional needs, including those with or without disabilities, can be accommodated with actions, services, equipment, accommodations, and modifications including physical/architectural, programmatic, and communications modifications.

Some individuals with access and functional needs have legal protections, including, but not limited to, the right to be free from discrimination based on race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency), sex, familial status, age, disability, and economic status.