“Excellent format,
good pace, well organized, great job” – it is not easy for lengthy,
full-day workshops on confusing and complex legal topics to garner such
positive feedback, but the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) workshops
conducted in May did more than just that.
More than 125 transit system and NCDOT employees from dozens
of organizations participated in workshops over three days to refresh their
knowledge and learn new concepts and applications of ADA and how it relates to
transit service provision. ADA is an essential civil right that has wide-ranging,
complex applications in the world of transit. Frequent training on ADA issues
in transit is necessary because the standards are constantly evolving with case
law decisions, administrative interpretations, and guidance on implementation.
The NCDOT Public Transportation Division sponsored the workshops
and the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at N.C. State
University contracted with Russell Thatcher from TranSystems to deliver the
training. Russell is a nationally recognized expert in ADA and an accomplished instructor. The events were hosted by Piedmont Authority
for Regional Transportation in Greensboro.
The workshops were divided into three sections to target
transit providers with specific service design characteristics, as ADA
regulations vary depending on what type of transit service is provided. Day one
was an in-depth training on determining ADA paratransit eligibility for urban
fixed route transit systems. Day two concerned ADA paratransit operations and
best practices for both community and urban transit systems operating fixed
routes. ADA 101 on day three was an overview and refresher course on the ADA’s
best practices and regulations for community transportation providers.
The interactive instruction techniques and comprehensive
course content enabled the workshop attendees to return to their local transit
systems with more knowledge about the ADA and better prepared to implement its
requirements.
No comments:
Post a Comment