Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities

OST-2007-26829 - Passenger Vessels NPRM

Published in Federal Register January 23, 2007

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Bookmarked - Does Not Concern Air Tranpsortation

The Department is proposing to issue a new Americans with Disabilities Act rule to ensure nondiscrimination on the basis of disability by passenger vessels. This notice of proposed rulemaking concerns service and policy issues. Issues concerning physical accessibility standards will be addressed at a later time, in conjunction with proposed passenger vessel accessibility guidelines drafted by the Access Board.

Comments should be submitted by April 23, 2007. Late-filed comments will be considered to the extent practicable.

By: General Counsel for Regulation and Enforcement, Robert Ashby

March 9, 2007

Comments of New Jersey Protection and Advocacy | Word

By: Curtis Edmonds

Published in Federal Register April 13, 2007

Extension of Comment Period

The Department is extending through June 22, 2007, the period for interested persons to submit comments to its proposed rule to amend its Americans with Disabilities Act regulations concerning passenger vessels. Late-filed comments will be considered to the extent practicable.

By: Regulation and Enforcement, Robert Ashby

April 13, 2007

Comments of Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office on Disability | Word

Part 39 should cover terminals to the extent that the PVO owns or leases the terminal or exercises control over its selection, design, construction, or alteration (e.g., POV[A1] selects site for construction of new facility; or PVO has choice of docking at existing accessible or inaccessible facility).  This makes logical sense, it would not matter if the vessel is accessible if a person requiring such accommodations could not get to it because of an inaccessible terminal.

The more inclusive term “wheeled mobility assistive device” should be used.  This would indicate not only manual and power wheelchairs, but also scooters, rollators, chair walkers and rolling walkers.

There should not be a minimum size that must be reached before accessibility is required. Since the ADA has now existed for more than a decade, when referencing public transportation there is beginning to be an assumption of accessibility no matter the size of the vessel or capacity.

By: Heather Sturgill