ADA Transition Plan – Brief Overview 2019 AASTHO Agency Administration Conference Sandra D. Norman, Civil Rights Division Administrator, VDOT May 2019

The Road to the Plan Civil Rights Meeting – 2013 A gentle reminder of the following: Legal Responsibilities Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Make programs and services accessible to all Title II of the ADA of 1990 Self-evaluation to inventory barriers and develop a transition plan DOJ/FHWA Joint Memo of 2013 Clarify when deficient ramps must be improved during paving Risks – lawsuit due to non-compliance Caltrans: $1.1B settlement Fairfax County: 2011 settlement with DOJ Advisory Team Assembled Civil Rights and Traffic and Engineering Virginia Department of Transportation

ADA Transition Plan Requirements Four key attributes (per Code of Federal Regulations) Designate the Official Responsible Commissioner Inventory Barriers Curb Ramps Sidewalks Traffic Signals (APS) Safety Rest Areas & Welcome Centers Facilities Methods Description of programs Schedule Commitment to a timeline for barrier removal Virginia Department of Transportation

Implementation in Process (Phase I – Curb Ramps) Step Complete Strategic Plan June 2014 Organize Internal/External Outreach (DARs) – Surveyed targeted locations Local Assistance Workshop July 2014 September 2014 Joint Memorandum Issued – (TED & CR) August 2014 State Funding Identified ($6.9m) Self-assessment of deficiencies to address July - Continuing Implement Assessment & Work Tracking Procedures Designate ADA Coordinator October 2014 Develop Grievance Procedures & Implement Complaint Process Monitor Pavement Schedule to Completion June 2015 Can we develop the schedule for developing the plan with some interim dates, like data collection by districts? Some things to measure before Sept. 2016? # of Projected Curb Ramps # of Curb Ramps Assessed # Actual Accomplishment % Actual Accomplishment

Show me the Inventory 1990s Inventory – non existence Non existence Inventory never materialized No central depository Self Assessment Phase Curb Ramps – July 2014 assessments began Internal stakeholders – District Employee buy-in Teams of two ADA Tracker Civil Rights designed and Traffic and Engineering modified Stand alone system Upload data and pictures • Improvement Prioritization Technology Improvements I-pads Map based inventory As the third largest state DOT in the nation, VDOT manages a lot of ADA related traffic assets and facilities In the past, ADA compliances initiatives were sporadic and mostly managed at project levels. They were funded by individual projects and are very difficult to track. It is hard for VDOT to show substantial compliance. Therefore in 2014, under the direction of Chief Engineer, VDOT started a new ADA program with dedicated funding Because of the huge scope, VDOT adopted a phased approach Phase 1 & 2 This presentation about curb ramps – program targets Regular, not two rows Virginia Department of Transportation

Map Based Inventory Supports: Improvement Prioritization Accomplishment Tracking Internal & External Communication Virginia Department of Transportation

Inventory of Barriers Current Inventory Curb Ramps Sidewalks Traffic Signal APS Safety Rest Areas Facilities Virginia Department of Transportation

ADA Transition Plan Schedule ADA Tracker Virginia Department of Transportation

Don’t ask my neighbor Stakeholder partnerships are important Community Roundtables Virginia Department of Transportation

We are in this together Virginia Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration Joint Program Review Joint Program Review Assessing VDOT compliance with ADA requirements on alteration projects Final Report November 2016 Virginia Department of Transportation

VDOT’s Plan submitted for final approval Final Destination VDOT’s Plan submitted for final approval Virginia Department of Transportation

Questions? Sandra D. Norman Sandra.Norman@VDOT.Virginia.gov (804) 786-4552 Virginia Department of Transportation