Access for Individuals with Disabilities
RELATED TOPICS: Countermeasures and Safety Effectiveness, Design and Engineering Guidance
Transportation networks must be accessible to and usable by people of all ages and abilities. This includes pedestrians using wheelchairs, pedestrians with vision loss, individuals with cognitive disabilities, and older adults with limited mobility and/or limited vision or hearing. Agencies cannot discriminate against those with a disability when building, altering, or reconstructing public facilities. Public facilities include sidewalks, buildings, and street crossings. While all design guidance and recommended solutions for pedestrian travel apply to those with disabilities, details become important to ensure access is provided. The United States Access Board provides guidelines for making streets and sidewalks in the public rights-of-way accessible, considering aspects ranging from the slope of sidewalks, ramps, and crosswalks to the timing of traffic signals and inclusion of Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS). FHWA requirements under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 include oversight of State and local entities and recipients of Federal funds that are responsible for roadways and pedestrian facilities to ensure that they do not discriminate on the basis of disability in any highway transportation program, activity, service or benefit they provide to the public.
For pedestrians with disabilities, details matter, and poor design can be a barrier to travel. Design and infrastructure should serve mobility needs of all pedestrians. Crossing Solutions at Roundabouts and Channelized Turn Lanes: A Guidebook offers a range of geometric and traffic operational considerations to enable safe wayfinding and independence for blind pedestrians at the roundabouts and Channelized Turn Lanes. Some of the guidance can be applied to other intersection types as well, such as Diverging Diamond Interchanges or other alternative intersection types. Chapter 5 of the Guidebook on Pedestrian Crossings of Public Transit Rail Services gives guidance to consider specifically at pedestrian-rail crossings.
Resources
Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines
US Access Board
Issues a final rule on accessibility guidelines for pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way, including notable changes and training resources.
Notable Changes in Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines Final Rule
US Access Board
Highlights notable changes in updated Public Right-of-Way (PROWAG) Accessibility Guidelines Final Rule.
ADA Transition Plan and Inventory
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
Assists State DOTs in developing ADA Transition Plans and managing accessibility inventories.
Questions and Answers About ADA/Section 504
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Helps State and local transportation departments understand responsibilities under ADA and Section 504.
Easterseals Project Action
Easterseals
Provides training and technical assistance on accessible transportation issues.
More Resources >
Examples
Sidewalk Mapping for Pedestrians with Disabilities Navigation Workshop Summary
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Offers a summary of a 2022 workshop focused on research needs for sidewalk mapping.
Creating Connections: Opportunities for Safe Routes to School Programs to Support High School Students with Disabilities
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Explores how Safe Routes to School programs can support high school students with disabilities, featuring examples from Minnesota and Oregon.
Different Bikes for Different Cyclists
AARP
Provides an illustrated guide to 15 types of bicycles used for different purposes.
Winthrop Street Shared Street
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
The transformation of Winthrop Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
City of Pleasant Hill ADA Transition Plan
City of Pleasant Hill, Alta Planning and Design
The City of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, developed this Transition Plan in accordance with requirements stemming from ADA. A Transition Plan is meant to be a living document that serves to help the City transition the system to compliance.
More Examples >
Related Webinars
Innovations in Accessibility
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Jun/11/2024
You can do it, too! Breaking down institutional barriers to improve safety for all road users
Federal Highway Administration
Dec/18/2023
Sidewalk Inventories: A Tool for ADA Compliance
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Jul/26/2023
Enhancing Mobility, Access and Safety for Pedestrians (Part I)
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Apr/28/2020
Enhancing Mobility, Access and Safety for Pedestrians (Part II)
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Apr/30/2020
