ADA transportation standards continue to change to reflect the needs of the public.
By Jennifer Perry
As an organization, United Spinal Association recognizes the importance of transportation in the lives of people with disabilities, particularly those with Spinal Cord Impairment, as they strive to live independently. Without access to accessible transportation, many people with disabilities would have no means of traveling to and from the workplace, or to social activities within their communities.
United Spinal has worked for almost two decades to ensure that public transportation facilities are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. In fact, United Spinal’s General Counsel James J. Weisman, was a key negotiator in the drafting of the transportation requirements in the ADA, enacted on July 26, 1990, and we continue to reinforce the statute on behalf of our members and all Americans with disabilities.
New Standards
On October 30, 2006, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) adopted new ADA standards based on the United States Access Board’s updated guidelines. An independent agency made up of representatives from federal agencies and appointees of the President, the Access Board formulates accessibility standards for all federally funded construction projects. The new standards took effect November 29, 2006, for new construction and alterations.
The new design document is the culmination of a comprehensive, decade-long review and update of the Access Board’s ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), which were first published in 1991. Revisions have been made so that the guidelines continue to meet the needs of people with disabilities and keep pace with technological innovations. For example, reach ranges have been lowered to better serve people who use wheelchairs and persons of short stature. The guidelines also feature a new format and organization and have been extensively edited for greater clarity, which the Access Board hopes will in turn improve compliance with the guidelines.
The New ADA Standards adopted by the US DOT apply to public transportation facilities and systems that are subject to the DOT ADA regulations (49 CFR Parts 37 and 38) such as bus stops, rail stations and airports. Specific areas of covered public transportation facilities that are addressed in the new ADA standards include the design of passenger loading zones, bus stops, bus boarding and alighting areas, rail stations, bus shelters and transportation facility signage.
The updates to the standard for these areas are reflective of emerging technology and research. For example, research has shown that audible sign systems using infrared transmitters and receivers may provide greater accessibility in the transit environment than traditional Braille and raised letter signs. The new ADA standards make allowances for this new technology in the standard. The new standard also provides greater clarity and information on features such as the height of characters used for signage and clocks in public spaces.
In some instances, the new standard just provides some additional information about existing requirements that may not have been clear to the end user, so additional figures have been added to the standard to clarify certain features, such as the accessibility requirements at bus shelters in Section 810.3.
United Spinal’s Accessibility Services Program has partnered with The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Accessible Public Transportation (RERC) to provide an online course on the new ADA standards that affect DOT public transportation facilities. The RERC researches and develops methods to empower consumers and service providers in the design and evaluation of accessible transportation equipment, information services, and physical environments.
If you would like information on the course that covers these topics in more detail, please visit www.rercapt.org where you can register for the course “Accessible Transportation Facility Design & Compliance with the Revised ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines”. You can also find more information on the revised ADA Accessibility Guidelines on the US Access Board’s Web site at www.access-board.gov or by contacting Jennifer Perry with United Spinal’s Accessibility Services Program at 610.757.0044 or via e-mail at jperry@unitedspinal.org.
Jennifer Perry is an accessibility specialist with Accessibility Services.
