Last month citizens across the country celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Easter Seals Project ACTION (Accessible Community Transportation In Our Nation) led an "ESPA Talks" Paratransit Online Dialogue July 26-August 6 to mark the anniversary. This virtual town hall forum was open to public and private transportation providers, paratransit providers, federal, state, and local transportation professionals, disability services organizations, human services agencies, aging services agencies, volunteer transportation program coordinators, planners, advocates, and policymakers. During the dialogue, participants were asked to submit, comment on, and rate ideas related to paratransit service provision.

There are many ongoing opportunities to learn about the ADA and what it means for coordinated human service transportation. The National Transit Institute is holding "Understanding ADA" in Massachusetts and Oregon. The goal of this course is to teach transit professionals the legal background of ADA and paratransit requirements. See course information at http://www.ntionline.com/CourseInfo.asp?CourseNumber=TCR08. TRB is sponsoring an August 25 webinar called "Optimization Models for Prioritizing Bus Stop Facility Investments for Riders with Disabilities", http://tris.trb.org/view.aspx?id=916309.

There are also many great resources you can access for free to learn about accessible transportation. The Center for Workers with Disabilities has released Getting to Work: A Case Study Report on Accessible Transportation Projects, http://cwd.aphsa.org/home/docs/CWDTransportationBrief.pdf. The four Medicaid Infrastructure Grant transportation projects (Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Jersey) profiled in this report illustrate a set of practices that address transportation needs. The four projects described in this report suggest a set of strategies and activities that can help advance accessible transportation in states and in communities.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights has just released Access To Medical Care for Individuals With Mobility Disabilities, http://www.ada.gov/medcare_mobility_ta/medcare_ta.htm. This technical assistance publication provides guidance for medical care providers on the requirements of the ADA in medical settings with respect to people with mobility disabilities, which include, for example, those who use wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, crutches, or no mobility devices at all.