Home Office of the Director Policy & Administration Access & Functional Needs OAFN Training Courses

Training Courses

Available courses

Enhancing Inclusive Emergency Management

The Office of Access and Functional Needs (OAFN) supports training and guidance to empower emergency managers and community partners to adopt inclusive strategies in disaster planning, preparedness, response, and recovery.
Explore Cal OES’s integrated curriculum designed to promote whole-community resilience and help ensure all individuals are considered in every phase of emergency management.

Integrating Access and Functional Needs into Emergency Management Training Course (G-197)

This course equips emergency managers, disability partners, and community organizations with the essential tools, knowledge, and technical support to effectively plan, prepare, respond, and recover with inclusive strategies. Participants will explore key principles, partnership development, and best practices in:

  • Whole Community Planning
  • Integrated Shelter Operations
  • Inclusive Transportation and Evacuation
  • Effective Communication and Accessible Messaging
  • Recovery Strategies

Download the course flyer

How To Create Accessible Office Documents

OAFN offers complimentary monthly training courses focused on creating accessible documents for emergency managers and community partners statewide. Designed to improve digital accessibility, throughout the emergency management cycle, the courses focus on the essential steps to create accessible content using Word, Excel, and Adobe Acrobat.

Available courses include:
1. Creating Accessible Office Documents
2. Creating Accessible PDF Documents
3. Creating Accessible Forms

Inclusive Online Mini-Courses

These three free online courses are designed to help emergency managers effectively integrate the needs of individuals with access and functional considerations into transportation, sheltering, and communication plans.

Inclusive Transportation Online Course

The Inclusive Transportation course is designed to empower local jurisdictions with the information, technical knowledge, and resources needed to develop comprehensive emergency transportation and evacuation plans that integrate considerations of the whole community.

Inclusive Sheltering Plans and Operations Online Course

The Inclusive Sheltering course supports local jurisdictions with the best practices, guidance, and information needed to create integrated sheltering plans and operations that identify, address, and incorporate the access and functional considerations of the whole community.

Inclusive Communications Online Course

The Inclusive Communications course is designed to support local jurisdictions as they seek to integrate interpreters, translators, and assistive technology within their emergency communication plans, strategies, and operations.

How to Register for Training Courses

The courses listed above are available at no cost through the California State Training Institute (CSTI). Follow these steps to register:

  1. Visit: csti-ca.csod.com
  2. Log In or Create an Account
  3. Navigate to: “Browse Training”
  4. Locate the Desired Course
  5. Select the Course
  6. Click the Dropdown Arrow next to “View Details”
  7. Select “Request” to Enroll

For additional information or assistance, contact:

AFN CERT Module

AFN CERT Training Module: Integrating Inclusive Practices in Emergency Response.

OAFN, in collaboration with Cal OES, local jurisdictions, and community partners, has developed a specialized training module for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers. This comprehensive module emphasizes the importance of incorporating the access and functional needs (AFN) community throughout all phases of emergency management.

Currently in the final stages of development, the AFN CERT module will soon be available to partners nationwide.

For more information about CERT, visit the Cal OES Community Emergency Response Team.

Credentialing the Role of AFN Technical Advisor/Coordinator

Credentialing EOC Staff: Ensuring Expertise in Inclusive Emergency Management
Credentialing Emergency Operations Center (EOC) personnel ensures that staff possess the essential knowledge, skills, and experience to manage emergencies safely and effectively.

The AFN Coordinator (or AFN Technical Advisor) plays a critical role as the EOC’s subject matter expert on access and functional needs. This position requires comprehensive knowledge of diverse populations and legal requirements related to individuals with disabilities and other access and functional needs.

Key areas of expertise include understanding the needs of individuals who are:
• Blind or have low vision
• Deaf or hard of hearing
• Living with physical, developmental, or intellectual disabilities
• Limited English proficient
• Low-income, homeless, and/or transportation disadvantaged

The AFN Coordinator should also be familiar with:
• Community-based organizations serving AFN populations
• AFN-specific resources and services that may present during a disaster.

Official Curriculum

The Federal Homeland Security National Qualification System (NQS) is a foundational guideline on the qualification of personnel resources within the National Incident Management System. It establishes guidance and tools to assist stakeholders in developing processes for qualifying, certifying and credentialing deployable emergency personnel. It defines the process for certifying the qualifications of incident personnel, describes how to stand up and implement a peer review process, and provides an introduction to the process of credentialing personnel.

For more information on requirements of NQS, reference the NQS Access and Functional Needs Coordinator Position Task Book.

NQS outlines the required qualifications for the Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Advisor position, including completion of the Position Task Book. The following foundational trainings are essential:

  • IS-100 / ICS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System
  • IS-200 / ICS-200: Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response
  • IS-368: Including People with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs in Disaster Operations
  • IS-700: National Incident Management System, An Introduction
  • IS-800: National Response Framework, An Introduction

  • E/G/L 0191: Emergency Operations Center/Incident Command System Interface

The EOC Position Credentialing Standards published by CSTI in 2022 lists the Access & Functional Needs Specialist position under Planning & Intelligence. Expansion above the basic training requirements for Type II and Type III, although this position is considered a “Single Type” position.

Supplemental Curriculum

Cal OES has taken the opportunity to broaden the State-level AFN Coordinator position(s) beyond the documented Federal and 2022 CSTI requirements. Along with the courses listed on this page — including the G-197, the Accessible Document Series, and Inclusive Online Courses — OAFN recommends the following supplemental training to better prepare emergency managers for this critical role: