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Agenda Item # 6

BOARD MEMORANDUM

BACKGROUND:

At the Committee for Transit Accessibility’s May 2007 meeting, members requested that staff provide information to the committee about how VTA mainstreams individuals with disabilities into the organization.   

DISCUSSION:

VTA as a public transportation agency believes that all of its customers, including those with disabilities, should receive the best services that the agency can provide.   As members of the CTA, most of your connection to the organization is through communication with the Accessible Services department.   The purpose of this memo is to provide a broader view of the VTA and how accessibility is integrated into all facets of the organization.

Most of our customers recognize our commitment to providing accessible transportation because they have used our paratransit, bus and light rail systems.   Some customers are also aware of our congestion management projects but most are unaware of the VTA’s Community Design and Transportation (CDT) Program that requires consideration of how transit is integrated into the plans, designs and construction of projects.

The CDT Program published a best practices manual in partnership with community stakeholders that incorporates principles of universal design.   According to the manual, “creating accessible environments necessitates creative thinking and viewing the world through many different eyes.    Individuals with disabilities are not a homogeneous group.  Disability cuts across all social, economic and ethnic lines.  Likewise, there are many disabling conditions that go beyond what we have traditionally viewed as ‘disabled.’ 

Many people have hidden disabilities that limit their mobility, such as arthritis or heart conditions.   Age may also be a disabling factor.   With advancing age many people experience hearing or vision loss.  These conditions directly impact how people cross streets, find entrances and receive critical audible or visual information.”  By creating barrier free pedestrian environments, providing accessible transportation and by collaborating with city planners, urban designers and developers, individuals, without regard to their level of ability, have access to jobs, schools, housing and recreational activities.  

In addition to the efforts of the transit, planning and construction components of the agency that have successfully integrated elements of accessibility into their programs and projects, administrative functions such as fiscal resources provided, for the first time, an accessible biennial budget.   Marketing is in the process of updating the VTA website and has solicited input from the disability community.   Accessible documents were provided to anyone who inquired about or attended the Comprehensive Operations Analysis public meetings on proposed route changes.  And our Technology Department is taking the lead to update software and provide training resources to make the creation of accessible documents much more efficient.

Michael T. Burns, General Manager, in the attached memo, expressed his desire for the entire organization to take responsibility in meeting the needs of the disability community. 

VTA’s actions have provided opportunities for individuals with disabilities, in the spirit of the ADA, to be mainstreamed into the whole of society. 

Attachment

To: V'TA Staff

From: Michael T. Burns, General Manager

Date: June 1,2007

Subject: Accessibility

VTA is continually taking a proactive approach to insuring that our services and information are accessible to all. Recently we stepped up our campaign to improve the level of accessibility. At the beginning of the year, we instituted mandatory restraints on coaches fix our clients with mobility devices. We just completed the Downtown Light Rail Retrofit Project and will continue to upgrade light rail platforms to make access easier for all members of the public, especially those who require mobility devices. We are currently redesigning our Web site to take advantage of the latest advances in this area to provide timely and accurate information for our visually impaired clients. All of these activities are moving forward with the active support and guidance of our valued Committee for Transit Accessibility (CTA).

This week we began intensive training for selected VTA staff and a representative of the CTA in preparing written documents for the visually impaired. We have consulted experts in this field at San Jose State University and contracted with experienced consultants to assist us in improving the culture of' accessibility at VTA.

To meet our responsibilities toward all members of the public, most especially those with accessibility challenges, we need to continually improve our awareness of accessibility requirements, We will provide additional training classes, utilize consultant services and acquire the latest software programs to aid us in these efforts, It is important to recognize that accessibility is not the responsibility of a handful of people. It is an area we all need to be aware of and continue to do our best to make sure all members of the public have access to our services and information. Your continued efforts in this area will have an important impact on improving the level of service to all the members of the public we serve.

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