PARATRANSIT
ADA PARATRANSIT HANDBOOK (EG&G DYNATRENT 1991) This handbook provides guidance and practical information for implementing the complementary paratransit service requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
PARATRANSIT FACT SHEET #1 WHY IS PARATRANSIT SO IMPORTANT AND WHAT ARE THE HUMAN AND ECONOMIC COSTS WHEN PARATRANSIT IS NOT AVAILABLE? (PROJECT ACTION 2008) Part of the THE CHANGING PARADIGM FOR PARATRANSIT facts sheets by Project Action. Describes the important benefits of paratransit to people with disabilities, older adults, and to the communities that provide it.
PARATRANSIT FACT SHEET #2 MAKING PARATRANSIT 'PART OF THE FAMILY' (PROJECT ACTION 2008) Part of the THE CHANGING PARADIGM FOR PARATRANSIT facts sheets by Project Action. Addresses the beliefs of transit operators who embrace paratransit by varying degrees as views grow toward more fully including paratransit in communities’ family of services.
PARATRANSIT FACT SHEET #3 MODELS THAT POINT THE WAY AHEAD FOR PARATRANSIT (PROJECT ACTION 2008) Part of the THE CHANGING PARADIGM FOR PARATRANSIT facts sheets by Project Action. The examples of six cities are used to describe how public transportation can successfully include a continuum of specialized services that meet individual mobility needs.
PARATRANSIT FACT SHEET #4 PARATRANSIT VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE RESEARCH TOPICS (PROJECT ACTION 2008) Part of the THE CHANGING PARADIGM FOR PARATRANSIT facts sheets by Project Action. Poses ideas for research that delve into cost/benefit findings and other factors that support the success of paratransit as part of an entire system of services that meets the mobility needs of all.
COMPARISON OF THE ADA REQUIREMENTS FOR ADA PARATRANSIT VS. NON-ADA PARATRANSIT (EQUIP FOR EQUALITY) Table comparison of ADA required paratransit service vs. non-ADA paratransit
SUBPART F - Paratransit as a Complement to Fixed Route Service
37.121 Requirement for comparable complementary paratransit service 37.123 ADA paratransit eligibility - standards 37.125 ADA paratransit eligibility - process 37.127 Complementary paratransit service for visitors 37.129 Types of service 37.131 Service criteria for complementary paratransit 37.133 Subscription Service 37.135 Submission of paratransit plan 37.137 Paratransit plan development 37.139 Plan contents 37.141 Requirements for a joint paratransit plan 37.143 Paratransit plan implementation 37.145 State comment on plans 37.147 Considerations during UMTA review 37.149 Disapproved plans 37.151 Waiver for undue financial burden 37.153 UMTA waiver determination 37.155 Factors in decision to grant an undue financial burden waiver
Eligibility Documents 
Regulation sections:
37.123 ADA paratransit eligibility - standards 37.125 ADA paratransit eligibility - process
Determining ADA Paratransit Eligibility: An Approach, Guidance and Training Materials from Project Action (2003)
Entire Document (PDF 316 pages, 11MB)
Table of Contents, Acknowledgements, Introduction and Process Overview (PDF 22 pages)
Section 1. Overview of ADA Paratransit Eligibility (PDF 21 pages)
Section 2. Developing a Better Understanding of Disabilities and Functional Abilities (PDF 13 pages)
Section 3. Sample Brochures, Cover Letters and Application Forms (PDF 4 pages)
Section 4. Guidance for Conducting In-Person Interviews and for Obtaining Follow-Up Information from Professionals (PDF 62 pages)
Section 5. Guidance for Conducting Physical Functional Assessments For ADA Paratransit Eligibility (PDF 46 pages, 1MB)
Section 6. Instructions and Training Materials for Administering the Functional Assessment of Cognitive Transit Skills (FACTS) (PDF 11 pages)
Section 7. Determining ADA Paratransit Eligibility for Persons with Vision Disabilities (PDF 42 pages)
Section 8. A Framework for Making "Difficult Determinations" (PDF 7 pages)
Instructor's Guide (PDF 44 pages)
Project Action - Innovative Practices in Paratransit (2002)
Innovative Practices in Paratransit (PDF 50 pages) Innovative Practices in Paratransit (Text)
In 2002, Easter Seals Project ACTION and Multisystems completed a national study of ADA complementary paratransit practice. Through surveys and site visits, an extensive amount of information was gathered about innovative practices being used in the delivery of ADA complementary paratransit throughout the country. This report, one of the outcomes of the research, is designed for transit and paratransit providers and people with disabilities and agencies that serve them. It is a resource that can assist in having more efficient and productive paratransit operations.
ADA TRANSPORTATION BRIEF: PARATRANSIT ELIGIBILITY
ADA Paratransit Eligibility Certification Practices (Weiner 1998) This synthesis will be of interest to transit agency general managers, the appropriate special services staffs, and any others dealing with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit eligibility certification on behalf of transit agencies. It describes the complexities involved in creating an accurate eligibility determination process that complies with ADA requirements and is regionally and politically feasible to implement. This study documents the range of outcomes produced by the different eligibility certification models and offers information about their overall effectiveness. This report of the Transportation Research Board focuses on the range of eligibility certification models that have been adopted nationwide. It presents information in order to generate new approaches for transit agencies attempting to enhance existing procedures.
ADA Paratransit Eligibility Manual (EG&G DYNATREND Sept 1993) This manual has been prepared to provide further guidance to transit providers in the development and implementation of ADA paratransit eligibility determination processes. The most common questions raised about eligibility are addressed. Experience gained in the first one and a half years of implementation of the paratransit provisions is also summarized. As part of the preparation of this manual, public entities that had particular expertise and positive experiences with eligibility determination were contacted and copies of the forms and procedures which they had developed were collected. Key issues raised by these transit providers are included in the text and copies of sample forms and policies are provided in the appendices.
“ADA PARATRANSIT ELIGIBILITY: HOW TO MAKE YOUR CASE” (DREDF, 2003) The purpose of this paper is to assist people with disabilities to obtain an accurate and fair ADA paratransit eligibility determination. Many people with disabilities who should be eligible for paratransit services according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are denied eligibility because transit agencies are not accurately assessing their capacities. People with disabilities can affect this process, in many cases, by carefully documenting their disabling conditions, ensuring all their disability-related impairments are assessed, and taking other steps described in the paper.
Process and scheduling 
Regulation sections:
37.127 Complementary paratransit service for visitors 37.129 Types of service 37.131 Service criteria for complementary paratransit 37.133 Subscription Service
ADA Transportation Brief:
Paratransit Service Policies and Practices for effectively and efficiently meeting ADA paratransit demand (CHIA 2008) This synthesis covers a wide range of policies and practices that transit agencies use to provide service to persons with disabilities more effectively and more efficiently. As demand for paratransit continues to increase in many communities, transit agencies are looking for innovative ways to serve the individuals who must use paratransit, while also operating more efficiently to contain costs and/or provide more service for the available resources. Information is presented here for transit agency managers and paratransit managers and their staffs, as well as other professionals involved in paratransit service delivery. This synthesis highlights policies and practices that transit agencies would be able to apply to their own services, often without the need to devote significant funds, personnel, or other resources. It also identifies certain practices and technologies that are still under development or have not undergone extensive testing. They merit discussion because they seem to offer great potential. This synthesis includes a literature review that provides a baseline of information studies, of particular value in representing definitive studies in their respective areas and/or bringing together much information in a single source. It documents 124 transit agency responses to a selected survey effort and summarizes the findings from 17 transit agency telephone interviews where staff provided further details about certain policies and practices that they believed to be innovative and/or potentially useful to others.
Administration
Regulation sections:
37.135 Submission of paratransit plan 37.137 Paratransit plan development 37.139 Plan contents 37.141 Requirements for a joint paratransit plan 37.143 Paratransit plan implementation 37.145 State comment on plans 37.147 Considerations during UMTA review 37.149 Disapproved plans 37.151 Waiver for undue financial burden 37.153 UMTA waiver determination 37.155 Factors in decision to grant an undue financial burden waiver
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