Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Program Review, Training, and Support Services

Transcription

1 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Program Review, Training, and Support Services Presented to: 14th Annual New Jersey Department of Transportation Research Showcase Presented by: Christopher Titze, AICP/PP, Cambridge Systematics Thursday, October 18, :50 2:30 PM

2 Agenda 2 Background of ADA Program Review, Training, and Support Services Project Objectives, Scope, and Approach Literature Review Gap Analysis Education, Awareness, and Training Program Development Conclusions and Recommendations Implementation Q&A

3 Project Background 3 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) directed NJDOT s Division of Civil Rights to amplify its focus and to accelerate program efforts on accessibility related to public facilities and services by persons with disabilities. NJDOT must meet the basic administrative requirements of Section 504/Title II through various program elements: Designation of a formal staff coordinator responsible for cross-departmental Title II efforts; Phased schedule for providing curb ramps along pedestrian crossings; Internal education and procedures: Policy provisions of public notice regarding ADA requirements; Adoption and publishing of grievance procedures, performance of a self-assessment of existing physical barriers; and Creation of a Transition Plan for removing identified barriers.

4 Project Objective NJDOT Division of Civil Rights, commissioned a research study to collect cross-cutting data and information relevant to Section 504/Title II compliance throughout NJDOT and enable the drafting of required elements of the Transition Plan. 4 Identify and document data and program gaps in relation to the Transition Plan document; Recommend incremental goals for compliance that could be achieved over a short-, medium-, and long-term timeframe; and Increase cross-functional knowledge and awareness of ADA and Section 504/Title II compliance across NJDOT and its various divisions.

5 Project Scope and Approach 5 Literature Review best practices related to the development of a required Transition Plan, the drafting of an updated Transition Plan document that outlines progressive steps the program can undertake in the future. Gap Analysis performed gap analysis of NJDOT s data collection and data sharing efforts in support of compliance activities. Education, Awareness, and Training Program Development development of educational materials for an internal training program within NJDOT that is focused on ADA awareness and compliance.

6 Literature Review 6 Toolkits and resources for compliance tracking relative to Section 504/Title II also were reviewed Five State DOT Transition Plans were selected for in-depth review. States were selected based on: Survey (conducted by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Research Advisory Committee) that highlighted how various state DOTs were managing completion of their ADA Transition Plans. Availability and accessibility of public documentation of their Transition Plans, the timing of plan completion, and the frequency of plan updates. States included for in-depth review included Colorado, Florida, Maryland, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

7 Gap Analysis self-evaluation completed by the Division of Civil Rights was used as the starting point from which to develop more in-depth insights of the Department s internal ADA processes. Interview guide was distributed and on-site interviews conducted with members of eight NJDOT Divisions; which ensured a broad crossrepresentation of functions within the Department, including: Division of Civil Rights; Operations Traffic Engineering and Safety; Operations Support; Facilities/Regional Operations; Capital Program Management; Planning; Office of Information Technology/Geographic Information Systems; and Communications

8 Gap Analysis 8 The purpose of the interviews was to collect information on: Interviewees responsibilities in the Department; Specific roles or functions related to ADA; Data and documentation used to perform duties; Known data gaps and limitations; Internal practices and procedures relevant to ADA; and Potential tools and processes to enhance ADA compliance.

9 Gap Analysis 9 Interviewees were asked questions in three broad categories: Organizational questions to help gather information about institutional arrangements, opportunities and barriers to data sharing, possibilities for collaboration with other divisions, and development and maintenance of data that addresses ADA requirements. Technical questions to gain knowledge about attribute information in the data that may be useful for ADA purposes, mechanisms and formats for storing data, and accuracy and frequency of data updates. ADA policy, awareness, and application questions to help collect information on the level of understanding across NJDOT on policy issues, implementation, and overall awareness of ADA compliance.

10 Education, Awareness, and Training Program Development 10 Key component of this research effort was the development of educational and training materials to respond to FHWA s directive to increase the knowledge and visibility of Section 405/Title II within NJDOT. ADA Education and Training Program was designed to: Review ADA regulations; Demonstrate ADA s application in daily work activities; Show how ADA has been integrated within Departmental actions and protocols; and Instruct personnel on the policies and procedures for appropriately managing ADA requests and inquiries. Education materials were developed for internal use and were intended to be presented to NJDOT personnel by members of the Division of Civil Rights.

11 Education, Awareness, and Training Program Development 11 Four modules were designed to focus on different aspects of ADA and its relationship with NJDOT and across its various divisions. The modules included: Module I ADA 101 Module II NJDOT Personnel and ADA Module III ADA Education Programming Resource Catalog Module IV ADA Work Group

12 Education, Awareness, and Training Program Development Reviewed ADA and its application. 12 Module I ADA 101 Focused on the Federal perspective (legislative and legal components) of ADA and how NJDOT currently is implementing ADA regulations through various internal and external processes and procedures: Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) NJDOT and ADA ADA and Project Delivery Process Managing ADA Complaints

13 Education, Awareness, and Training Program Development 13 Module II NJDOT Personnel and ADA Series of five personnel specific presentations; Capital Planning and Management, Engineering and Design, Maintenance, Planning, and Oversight Reinforces the NJDOT ADA Complaint Resolution Process; Examines how ADA impacts NJDOT personnel differently; Offers ADA best practices to improving accessibility; and Presented role playing scenarios for participants to respond and demonstrate knowledge gained through the program. Provided strategies for addressing ADA issues that might arise within different departments or when communicating with the public.

14 Educational Awareness and Training Program Development 14 Module II NJDOT Personnel and ADA

15 Educational Awareness and Training Program Development 15 Module II NJDOT Personnel and ADA

16 Education, Awareness, and Training Program Development 16 Module III ADA Education Programming Resource Catalog Reference document of Federal and state-level ADA education programs. Designed to supplement Module I and II materials. Focus on identifying supplemental ADA education programs that offer participants an interactive and immersive educational experience and reinforce the issues to be considered when developing projects, preparing designs, or resolving an ADA issue. Resources within the catalog where drawn from national and regional organizations, and highlight how available services or programs may be utilized to support the other modules of the ADA Education and Training program.

17 Education, Awareness, and Training Program Development 17 Module IV ADA Work Group Presentation for the internal ADA Work Group and designed to: Introduce and re-engage the current membership of the Work Group; Re-establish the goals, purpose, and responsibilities of the Work Group; Review the gaps and opportunities identified during the gap analysis subtask (as part of Task 1); Offer group members an opportunity to provide feedback; and Develop a strategy for the ADA Work Group for future activities.

18 Conclusions & Recommendations 18 Development of a facility prioritization and curb ramp installation schedule at NJDOT faces challenges in terms of funding, staff resources, and the nature of existing Departmental datasets. Specifically, many NJDOT databases comprise of standalone tools for each respective division s functional duties and are difficult to leverage for compliance tracking and monitoring across a project s entire lifecycle. Databases and systems are currently are not set up for inclusion of accessibility-specific information, or they lack common attributes (such as geography) in order to be successfully merged. ADA-specific data elements should be added to and collected for existing datasets.

19 Conclusions & Recommendations 19 It is anticipated that a full-fledged ADA program will take several years to fully develop. The research approach emphasizes incremental and steady progress over time, based on available staff and budgetary resources. Opportunities for internal collaboration on ADA matters include the ADA Work Group who can share and disseminate information between the member divisions, as well as external stakeholders, including MPOs and members of disability and advocacy groups outside the Department

20 Implementation NJDOT has developed a program framework for Section 504/Title II that: 20 Meets the administrative duties of the program; Involves internal stakeholders, performing a self-assessment of its gaps; Includes a comprehensive education and training program on ADA issues; and Creates a roadmap for future activities. ADA Work Group has continued to work in partnership with the ADA Coordinator in identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement regarding ADA issues throughout NJDOT and in refining the current Draft Transition Plan. 15 sessions of ADA education and training for about 500 NJDOT staff at headquarters and regional offices, and 126 county and municipal personnel have participated in this training throughout the State. Actively engaged in establishing a public involvement process which includes the disability community and other interested individuals to provide feedback.

21 Implementation 21

22 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Program Review, Training, and Support Services Contact us with any questions: Chris Titze: or (646) Chrystal Section: or (609)