This article presents an interview with Daniel W. Sutherland, Officer for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Department of Homeland Security, to discuss some of the Department's future goals related to emergency preparedness for people with special needs and to find out how citizens can help in that quest. This article also focuses on topics such as: the policy to ensure the dignity of people with special needs, especially those that may have communication deficits; the goals regarding emergency management aiming for improvement; encouraging families of people with special health care needs to prepare for post disaster recovery; and the lessons learned from September 11th and Hurricane Katrina.