Examples of Transportation Rights Cases & Services
- Equip for Equality has taken responsibility for enforcing a five-year settlement agreement with the Chicago Transit Authority that has improved accessible service on CTA buses and trains for people with mobility and vision impairments, as well as for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Nine individuals with disabilities and a disability advocacy organization, Access Living, sued the CTA in 2000 for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The case settled in September 2001.
- Equip for Equality has assisted dozens of people with a variety of disabilities in understanding their legal rights when applying for ADA Paratransit certification. To increase knowledge about this subject, Equip for Equality partnered with the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) in 2003 to co-author the self-advocacy guide, "ADA Paratransit Eligibility: How To Make Your Case."
- A client who was denied fair treatment when applying for recertification for ADA Paratransit is receiving assistance from Equip for Equality with a complaint filed with the Federal Transit Administration's Office of Civil Rights.
- A client who uses a manual wheelchair called to find out whether taxi drivers were legally required to provide assistance stowing his wheelchair after he transfers into the vehicle. When Equip for Equality informed him that the Americans with Disabilities Act does require such assistance, he was able to advocate with a local taxi service that was not enforcing that requirement with its drivers.
- Equip for Equality provided support to a disability advocacy organization and a group of ADA Paratransit customers who were advocating for the local public transportation agency to comply with ADA service requirements.
- A public transportation agency's website has extensive content (maps, brochures, etc.) that is not accessible to people who are blind or have low vision and who use screen-reading technology. Equip for Equality has analyzed some of the accessible versions of the brochures and found critical information omitted. These findings have been forwarded to both the transit agency and to the Federal Transit Administration's Office of Civil Rights.
Thank you for using our website. Please be aware that you may be eligible for services from another program at Equip for Equality even if you do not qualify for services from the Transportation Rights Project. Please contact Equip for Equality if you have any further questions.
