Public Meetings and Outreach

Public Meetings and Outreach

This section of the toolkit focuses on requirements and good practices for engaging people with disabilities in the public participation activities of a rural transit agency. This section is organized into the following subsections:


Unless stated otherwise, the information in this section is based on U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) regulation 49 CFR Part 37 - Transportation Services for Individuals with Disabilities (ADA) and FTA Circular 4710.1, Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA): Guidance.


Transit agencies have public participation requirements (see the Transit Manager's Toolkit Planning and Evaluation section for more information). When conducting public meetings and community outreach, transit agencies need to make sure people with disabilities are able to attend and participate. This includes holding meetings in an accessible facility, providing information in accessible formats, and ensuring accessible two-way communication (see the Rider Information section of this toolkit for additional information on accessible formats and communication methods).


There are specific requirements for transit agencies that provide ADA complementary paratransit service. Agencies that provide complementary paratransit must “create an ongoing mechanism for the participation of individuals with disabilities in the continued development and assessment of services to persons with disabilities” [Section 37.137(c)]. Consultation with people with disabilities is required when planning ADA complementary paratransit services [Section 37.137(b)(2)]. There are also specific requirements for public hearings and notice-and-comment periods if an agency plans to change paratransit reservations systems [Section 37.131(b)(4)] or if it intends to seek a determination of equivalent facilitation to depart from the required accessibility standards for facilities, vehicles, or systems [Section 37.7 and Section 37.9].


Even if a transit agency does not provide ADA complementary paratransit, it is important to engage people with disabilities on an ongoing basis (e.g., through a citizen advisory committee) and especially when planning any changes to policies or services that impact service accessibility for persons with disabilities.


Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has planning requirements associated with its Section 5310 grant program (see the Funding Considerations section of this toolkit) that requires participation by individuals with disabilities. Specifically, projects selected for funding under the Enhanced Mobility for Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310) Program must be included in a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan that was developed and approved through a process that included participation by seniors, individuals with disabilities, representatives of public, private, and nonprofit transportation and human services providers, and other members of the public.


Ongoing Public Participation

There are different ways a transit agency can fulfill the ongoing public participation requirement, including, but not limited to:


  • Advisory committees or subcommittees
  • Surveys via phone, mail, online, and/or in-person
  • Focus groups
  • Suggestion forms/boxes
  • Complaint analysis - In addition to being a valuable source of feedback, transit agencies are required by 49 CFR Part 27 and Part 37 to have procedures to receive, resolve, keep records of, and report on complaints.


According to Appendix D, Section 37.137, U.S. DOT is most interested in the effectiveness of the public participation effort, and transit agencies are welcome to choose the specific structure used to ensure public participation that best meets this goal..


Establishing an ADA advisory committee or subcommittee is a common way to institutionalize participation and make it permanent. If a transit agency already has an advisory committee or consumer advisory committee, they may want to create a subcommittee to focus specifically on ADA issues.


ADA advisory committees should be comprised of persons with disabilities as well as other stakeholders and representatives in the community. Ideally, the members with disabilities should represent various types of disabilities (such as vision, hearing, mobility, etc.), as well as diversity in terms of age, gender, race, and economic status. It is also important to have riders and non-riders participate, when possible.


Committee members should include representatives from the following stakeholder groups, where appropriate:


  • Transit system staff (including volunteers, if used)
  • Contract providers (if used)
  • Local and regional government officials
  • Relevant social service agency staff
  • Other agencies and/or organizations involved in transportation-related activities for individuals with disabilities and older adults


Committees should meet regularly and should consider the schedules and needs of the public when setting meeting times. Meetings should be open to the public and it is good practice to post meeting dates, agendas, and minutes online, in addition to distributing them to members. A good practice is to announce meetings far in advance (for example, at least 30 days in advance or longer if required by the transit agency’s local policy for announcing public meetings), potentially establishing a set meeting schedule throughout the year. This will give interested persons time to make plans to attend, and also time to request accessibility accommodations in advance.  All meetings must be accessible to persons with disabilities – to be discussed further in the section below.

Here are few examples of ADA advisory committees:


Advisory committees and any other mechanisms for ongoing public participation should be tailored for each transit system and community. Whatever the method, effective public involvement should foster communication and collaboration over the long term to make sure the transit services continue to meet the community’s needs.


For more information about advisory committees and public participation, see Easter Seals Project ACTION's Effective Transportation Advisory Committees guide, the Planning and Evaluation section of the Transit Manager's Toolkit.



All public meetings (e.g., advisory committee meetings, public hearings, and board meetings) must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Meetings must comply with all applicable ADA accessibility requirements and should also be conducted in such a way that all participants can participate in an equal and meaningful way.


According to Easter Seals Project ACTION’s ADA Essentials for Transit Board Members guide, minimum requirements identified by U.S. DOT include:


  • The meeting location must be accessible by public transit, including paratransit.
  • Primary entrances and doorways used for the meeting must be accessible, barrier-free, and usable by persons with disabilities, including wheelchair users.
  • There should be circulation space for wheelchairs throughout and at the front of the meeting space.
  • Microphones should be adjustable to wheelchair height.
  • Path of travel signs for an accessible route to the meeting room should be posted.
  • Meeting materials should be available in alternative formats prior to the meeting.
  • Sign language interpreters should be available if requested.


The above list is based on a checklist in U.S. DOT’s Public Involvement Techniques for Transportation Decisionmaking guide under the Including People Who Are Traditionally Underserved on the Public Involvement Techniques for Transportation Decisionmaking web page.


Another helpful resource is the Easter Seals Project ACTION’s Including People with Disabilities: Communication & Meeting Etiquette Guide. This brochure provides general communication guidance as well as the following tips for planning accessible meetings:


  • When planning events or meetings involving people with disabilities, inquire about their needs.
  • The building, parking area, meeting space, restrooms, and water fountains should be accessible.
  • If barriers exist, including entrance and doorway barriers, find a way to adapt the space or use another location.
  • For meetings, consider whether the path of travel to and from the location, including connections to public transit, is suitable for pedestrians and accessible to pedestrians with disabilities.
  • Allow circulation space for wheelchairs, make auditory accommodations and provide meeting materials in alternative formats prior to the meeting.
  • Provide a certified sign language interpreter or captioner upon request.


Transit Planning 4 All, an inclusive and coordinated transportation-planning project sponsored by the Administration for Community Living, developed a detailed Tip-Sheet on Planning Friendly Meetings and Going Beyond the ADA to Make a Meeting Place User-Friendly.


Information on communicating and providing materials in accessible formats is covered in the Rider Information section of this toolkit.


Accessible Virtual Meetings

When hosting “virtual” or video meetings or teleconferences, accessibility must also provided. This includes ensuring that audio information is also available visually (e.g. through captioning and/or sign language interpretation), visual information is available through an audio description, and interactive features such as chat, polling, questions, etc. are usable by participants with disabilities and their assistive technology (i.e. comply with Section 508 guidelines which are introduced in the Rider Information section of this toolkit, under “Federal Requirements and Standards for Information and Communication Technology”). The meeting hosting platform, meeting invitations/registration, and electronic handouts must also be accessible.


Here are several resources that provide guidance and tips on hosting accessible virtual meetings: 


  • U.S. General Services Administration (GAO), Section508.gov, Create Accessible Meetings – While this resource is aimed at employees of the U.S. Government, it provides information that can be helpful to anyone planning a virtual meeting. It addresses important planning considerations, accommodations for participants with sensory disabilities, accessible invitations/registration, meeting management techniques, publishing recordings of live meetings, and more.
  • Gerald Williams and Brandon Pace, Accessible Virtual Meetings slide presentation on the U.S. Access Board website (presented at the January 13, 2021 Access Board meeting) – provides meeting management tips, equipment and tech recommendations, and accessibility advantages and disadvantages of commonly-used virtual conferencing platforms. An archived July 2020 presentation can be streamed through the Great Lakes ADA Center website. 
  • Rooted in Rights, How to Make Your Virtual Meetings and Events Accessible to the Disability Community – Includes accessibility tips for people with different types of disabilities, how to describe live scenarios and other visual information, how to improve audio, and more.
  • University of Washington, Accessibility and Universal Design of Online Meetings – Provides practical strategies, tips for adding captions to several popular online video platforms, and links to accessibility support documents for online meeting platforms.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As part of any public engagement effort, including those focused on planning services for riders with disabilities, it is critical to ensure an inclusive and equitable process that fosters participation by diverse groups of people. People with disabilities themselves have diverse backgrounds and points of view, as well as diversity in the types of accessibility needed to ensure they can use fully participate in planning and public engagement efforts. For example, information accessibility characteristics will be different for participants who are blind and participants who are deaf. Inclusion of people with disabilities means including people with many different types of disabilities, such as mobility, sensory, intellectual, and psychiatric disabilities. And as with the general population of transit riders, people with disabilities are people of different races, ethnic groups, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

 

Ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion is also critical for the services, programs and facilities provided by a transit agency as well as in employment practices. Transit agency compliance with U.S. DOT ADA regulatory requirements under 49 CFR Parts 37 and 38—the focus of this ADA Toolkit—facilitates equity and inclusion for the services, programs and facilities provided by a transit agency. Compliance with the ADA requirements for employers, under Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations in 29 CFR Part 1630 and introduced in the Human Resources section of the Transit Manager’s Toolkit, helps facilitate diversity, equity and inclusion of people with disabilities in employment.


National RTAP’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Public Transportation best practices spotlight article provides case studies showcasing best practices in diversity, equity and inclusion from rural and tribal transit agencies, as well as tips for transit agencies for their own such programs.


The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) is currently working on an diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative and has described the needs and challenges of inclusive planning for older adults and persons with disabilities in its 2020 Transportation Trends Report. 


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Updated May 15, 2023

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