CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Government and Legal Environment

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed on July 26, 1990. The act is designed to encourage integration and to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities in areas such as employment, public services, telecommunications, and transportation. The ADA defines disability as:

• Physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individuals,
• A record of such an impairment, or
• Being regarded as having such an impairment.

     Section 222 of the ADA states, "It shall be considered discrimination for purposes of section 202 of this Act and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) for a public entity which operates a fixed route system to purchase or lease a new bus, a new rapid rail vehicle, a new light rail vehicle, or any other new vehicle to be used on such system, if such bus, rail vehicle, or other vehicle is not readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs."

     Within the Canadian context, the 1976 Canadian Human Rights Act made "disability" a prohibited "ground of discrimination." In 1982, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom clarified that discrimination based on physical or mental disability is prohibited under law.

     Since the passage of these laws, transit agencies have been undertaking significant initiatives to comply with the legislation and improve access to public transportation for persons with disabilities. To date, a significant number of reports and studies have been produced on the various technologies and their application by transit agencies to assist them in compliance. This synthesis report is derived from the literature produced on the issues of improving communications with persons with sensory or cognitive disabilities within a multimodal transit environment.

SCOPE

Travelers with disabilities, including sensory, vision, hearing, and cognitive impairments, need alternative methods for accessing and processing the information that is now commonly being provided to the general public by transit agencies. Appropriate attention to information and communication technologies related to planning, customer service, marketing, and training can improve the travel experience for all persons, including first time users of the system, persons whose first language is not English, and seniors.

     The scope of this synthesis report is to:

• Identify current North American practice in information and communication technologies, as well as operations, implementation, and human factors issues;
• Conduct a literature review; and
• Survey selected transit agencies to obtain information on practical or innovative solutions addressing the items noted previously.

Reported gaps in information, recommendations for alternative solutions, and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

METHODOLOGY

The literature review and a survey of selected transit agencies revealed the current methods of communicating with persons with disabilities. The literature review included an extensive search of various on-line libraries and information clearinghouse databases within the United States and Canada. Information was collected on the current practices, major issues, trends, innovations, case studies, and research in this area.

     The survey included a written questionnaire and telephone interviews. Surveys were sent to a select sample of transit agencies representing small and large operators providing or connecting to more than one mode of transportation service in the United States and Canada. From the 19 transit agencies that responded to the survey, 7 were interviewed extensively by telephone about the methods they are currently using or planning to implement to improve the communication needs of passengers with disabilities.

ORGANIZATION OF REPORT

This synthesis report is presented in six chapters, with supporting references, bibliography, and appendixes. Chapter 1 describes the project background and the scope and methodologies used to successfully complete the project. Chapter 2 provides definitions and an explanation of sensory and cognitive disabilities. Chapter 3 synthesizes the current communication methods and technologies available to transit agencies to better communicate with persons with disabilities, as described in numerous reports on the subject. Chapter 4 describes the results from those transit agencies that were surveyed and the employees interviewed. Chapter 5 summarizes the currently available methods of communicating with persons with sensory and cognitive disabilities in a multimodal transit environment as they relate to various aspects of a transit trip. Chapter 6 concludes the report by summarizing the major issues identified from the literature review and the information obtained from the transit agencies, and also identifies the gaps in the literature and areas for future research.

     Appendix A reproduces the survey questionnaire, Appendix B lists the transit agencies that participated in the survey, Appendix C contains additional information on planning and design and training, and Appendix D provides a list of on-line resources.

LIMITATIONS

New technologies and advances in communication systems are occurring today at an unprecedented pace, particularly in the area of advanced technologies such as smart cards and global information systems. By necessity the literature review conducted for this report covered material published from the late 1960s through 1999. Materials published thereafter will have to be covered in a future study.

     This report focuses on the communication techniques and technologies for persons with sensory and cognitive disabilities. Mobility related disabilities are not specifically addressed.