[bscb-announce] FW: FYI. Transportation During Disaster for People with Disabilities

Tue Jan 3 07:39:09 EST 2012

  _____  

From: Robertson, Meg (MCB) [mailto:meg.robertson at state.ma.us] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 8:10 AM
To: Rick Morin; Bhachey at verizon.net
Subject: FYI. Transportation During Disaster for People with Disabilities

 The White House
<http://whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/header_daily_snapshot.gif> 

Monday, December 19, 2011

Please note the below guidance recently issued by the Department of
Transportation.

Meeting the Transportation Needs of Individuals with Disabilities Following
a Disaster

The Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
is providing this guidance to public transportation and emergency management
agencies to emphasize the needs of individuals with disabilities following a
disaster.  This document responds to a request by the Interagency
Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with
Disabilities (ICC).  To access the ICC's 2009 report, and for more
information regarding the ICC, please visit
<http://links.whitehouse.gov/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwM
TExMjE5LjQ1MzU4MjEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTExMjE5LjQ1MzU4MjEmZGF0Y
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WF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&100&&&http://www.DisabilityPreparedness.gov>
www.DisabilityPreparedness.gov.

DOT recognizes the circumstances of any given disaster will determine the
ability to continue or restart public transportation services.  Such
circumstances include road conditions; the level of accessibility in the
community, e.g., the condition of sidewalks and other pedestrian
rights-of-way; availability of vehicles; and timeline of recovery.  We
recognize that, depending on circumstances, it can take a while to restart
public transportation services, including those accessible to people with
disabilities, but there is no "disaster exception" to the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA).  As services are restarted, accessible services need
to start up on approximately the same timetable.  The following principles
and legal obligations apply in disaster recovery situations:

*	A community's public transportation system is a crucial resource
that directly impacts activities across areas of employment, education,
recreation, social services, health care, and general civic participation. 

*	ADA civil rights obligations requiring accessibility in
transportation services apply to transportation providers whether or not
they receive Federal funding.  Among providers receiving Federal funding,
civil rights obligations apply to both direct recipients and subrecipients. 

*	The requirement for accessibility of transportation service applies
during both the response and recovery stages of an emergency. 

*	To the extent practicable, vehicles used to transport individuals to
and from evacuation centers, shelters, and disaster recovery centers should
be accessible to individuals with disabilities, including individuals who
use wheelchairs.  When some vehicles are inaccessible, individuals with
disabilities should receive priority for accessible vehicles. 

*	Vehicles used to re-establish fixed route service (particularly to
places of employment, education and health care) should be accessible to
people with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs. 

*	Specialized services such as paratransit should not be viewed as the
sole option for accessible transportation. 

*	During response and recovery after a disaster, transportation
agencies continue to have an obligation to transport service animals with
their owners. 

*	Whenever temporary alternatives are necessary for ensuring
accessibility (e.g., using ramps as a result of damaged platform),  a
timeline should be established for resolving the issue. 

*	Communities should engage in pre-disaster planning to meet the
emergency transportation needs of individuals with disabilities and others
with access needs. 

*	Individuals with disabilities and their representatives should be
involved in the planning for re-establishment of transportation services
during the long-term recovery of the community. 

*	Communities should plan for how residents may access alternative
medical facilities, particularly via public transportation, if local
facilities are damaged or destroyed. 

*	Communities and transportation providers should collaborate closely
with Federal, State and other local other governmental and nongovernmental
organizations to consider unmet needs throughout the recovery planning
process. Typical areas of enduring need after a disaster include
transportation for and during relocation. 

*	Communities should understand the composition of the local and
regional population and ensure they are meeting the needs not just of
individuals with disabilities, but also of those who are limited English
proficient (LEP populations) and who may require translation services and/or
printed instructions and information from public entities in languages other
than English.  In addition, elderly, low-income, minority and other
populations that rely on public transportation will be impacted if public
transportation is discontinued or if routes are changed after a disaster.
Assessing the locations of these populations can be achieved by an analysis
of census and services delivery data. 

*	Individuals with disabilities are typically more reliant on
community infrastructure - especially housing that is near public
transportation and other needed services - in order to live independently in
the community.  Yet, following a disaster, they may be displaced far away
from a public transportation route, or farther away from the city center. So
attention to where housing is created, where public transportation is
established, and where people with disabilities can live most independently
post-disaster, is particularly critical. 

*	Individuals who were living independently prior to the disaster and
were displaced from their community need to re-establish support networks in
their new location, which may include registering for ADA complementary
paratransit.  Given that it typically takes 30 days to register for this
service, the ability to become mobile within a new location can be greatly
delayed.  Transit agencies are required to grant visitor status for a
reasonable time to individuals with identification showing they were
eligible at home, and such service may exceed the 21 days provided for in
the DOT's ADA regulation.  Transit agencies are encouraged to provide
service to any evacuee who requests paratransit service, even if the
individual does not have identification or documentation showing that he/she
was eligible at home.  Transit agencies should work to expeditiously go
through the eligibility process for evacuees who are permanently relocated.
In addition, individuals with disabilities may be able to learn to use the
transit system in their new location.  Therefore, as individuals seek to
return to normal daily life, they may benefit from opportunities to receive
travel training to build their familiarity with the public transportation
system. 

*	During the recovery, the provision of public transportation should
be considered in the context of the new geography and population.  For
example, depending on the extent of the damage to infrastructure and
relocation of residents, certain routes may not make sense.   Some
neighborhoods previously not served by public transportation may need to be
considered for service.  During recovery, there is an opportunity to rethink
new public transportation routes and mechanisms that get people who were
relocated as a result of the disaster to important community facilities and
features. 

*	There is broad flexibility under FTA's planning and capital funding
programs for states, metropolitan planning agencies and transit authorities
to spend FTA funds for emergency preparedness and response planning.
However, FTA does not have funding available for emergency response.
Transit agencies are advised to contact their FTA regional office for
assistance with recovery efforts. 

Applicable regulatory provisions underlying this guidance can be found in 49
CFR part 37, Transportation Services for Individuals with Disabilities,
which can be accessed at:
<http://links.whitehouse.gov/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwM
TExMjE5LjQ1MzU4MjEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTExMjE5LjQ1MzU4MjEmZGF0Y
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WF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&101&&&http://www.fta.dot.gov/civilrights/ada/civil_rights_
3906.html> http://www.fta.dot.gov/civilrights/ada/civil_rights_3906.html.

The Federal Transit Administration has published a guide: Disaster Response
and Recovery Resource for Transit Agencies that provides additional
information for transit agencies and communities on planning for and meeting
the needs of people with disabilities following a disaster.  That report is
available at
<http://links.whitehouse.gov/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwM
TExMjE5LjQ1MzU4MjEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTExMjE5LjQ1MzU4MjEmZGF0Y
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This email was sent to meg.robertson at state.ma.us 

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Contact the White House.
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cmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=>  Meg Robertson COMS

Director

Orientation & Mobility Department

Massachusetts Commission for the Blind

48 Boylston St.

Boston MA 02116-4718

Meg.Robertson at state.ma.us

617-626-7581

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