On June 26, 2018, the City Council of the City of Rohnert Park voted to accept and adopt the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan (Phase I).
ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan (Phase I)
Appendices
ADA Facility Reports
Background
The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a comprehensive civil rights law for persons with disabilities that provides protection against discrimination in both employment and the provision of goods and services. The ADA states that its purpose is to provide a "clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities." Congress emphasized that the ADA seeks to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities.
The development of a Transition Plan is a requirement of the federal regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the ADA. The Rehabilitation Act, which has become known as the civil rights act for persons with disabilities, states that “no otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. . .”
Rohnert Park, as a public entity, is subject to the ADA’s Title II Requirements for State and Local Government Programs and Services. All public entities, regardless of size, are required to complete an ADA Self-Evaluation Plan and provide public notice about the ADA’s provisions. Public entities that employ 50 or more persons (such as the City) are required to complete an ADA Transition Plan.
This Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan (SETP) has been prepared to fulfill the requirements set forth in Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Title II of the ADA states that a public entity must reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures to avoid discrimination against people with disabilities. The SETP will assist the City to identify policy, programs, and physical barriers to accessibility and to prioritize and develop barrier removal solutions that will facilitate the opportunity of equal access to all individuals.
Staff received funding from a Community Development Block Grant to fund this project and selected MIG as the consultant to perform the analysis and prepare the SETP. The SETP would typically include analysis of ADA constraints in public rights-of-way, facilities and City programing; however, the City is phasing the analysis into two or more phases: Phase I includes evaluations of public buildings and programs and future phases would include evaluation of public roadways, sidewalks, and pathways.