ADA Transition Plan

The City of Springfield desires that all individuals have safe walking routes.  The American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its standards have changed throughout the years and much of the City’s older infrastructure is not compliant by today’s standard. To eventually address all non-compliant sidewalks and curb ramps, the City of Springfield has developed an ADA Transition Plan which prioritizes all ADA improvement needs on public Right-of-way. As of 2013, the City is holding itself to a higher standard  for new or reconstructed projects by following PROWAG (Public Rights of Way Access Guidelines).

Summary of the ADA Transition Plan

Title II of the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all public agencies to develop an ADA Transition Plan. The purpose of this plan is to identify existing barriers to accessibility in city-owned buildings, programs, and services, outline priorities, and develop a schedule to achieve compliance as outlined in the 1990 American’s with Disabilities Act. It is important to note that sidewalks and curb ramps have been specifically identified through federal legislation as a basic service and must be included in a city’s transition plan.

This document is intended to provide the following:

• An overview of the City’s past efforts at achieving ADA compliance in public right of way
• An outline of the process undertaken in 2018 to conduct a complete inventory and assessment of the City’s sidewalk network
• Results from this assessment
• A schedule of priorities to remediate any non-compliant sidewalks and curb ramps identified
• A timeline to complete the deficiencies identified in the 2018 inventory and assessment Public engagement is a critical component to developing a successful ADA Transition Plan. 

Public engagement is a critical component to developing a successful ADA Transition Plan. The Accessibility Team, comprised of disability advocates and local partners, meets on the second Friday every other month in conjunction with Team Access, a team of disability advocates with empower: abilities (formerly Southwest Center for Independent Living). This team of individuals has been critical in assisting the City with identifying needs and establishing priorities related to disability issues. The City also participates in the Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights by promoting disability awareness and gathering citizen input. Gathering input and communicating results on disability issues will be an ongoing effort from not only the above two committees, but many other partners as well. This will provide a greater opportunity for success of this plan.

According to the 2010 Census Bureau, one in five people - approximately 19 percent of the population in the United States - had a disability in 2010. Disabilities are not always apparent, which is an important realization in being a fully accessible community. The City of Springfield is committed to providing an accessible, barrier-free environment for people with disabilities. This is evident with actions taken by the City to plan for, prioritize, and remediate any past, existing, or future barriers to accessibility as well as the production of this ADA Transition Plan. With this plan and the partnerships developed, Springfield continues to strive toward a barrier free community accessible to people of all abilities.