|
November 28, 2007 The Honorable Peter A. DeFazio Dear Chairman DeFazio: The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) is a coalition of national disability organizations that advocates for public policy to ensure the self determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society. The CCD Transportation Task Force works to further improve accessibility in transportation systems and to expand transportation options for people with disabilities. We support efforts to ensure that curbside carriers and other “over-the-road” buses (OTRBs) are accessible to people with disabilities. We thank you for introducing H.R. 3985, the Over-The-Road Bus Transportation Accessibility Act of 2007. CCD appreciates your leadership in requiring the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to consider Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance in determining whether a bus company is fit to operate in interstate commerce. It is unfortunate that, 17 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted and nine years after the Department of Transportation’s regulations requiring accessible OTRB service were published, several OTRB operators blatantly refuse to provide accessible service to people with disabilities. CCD believes that without further enforcement, this legislation is the only means of forcing these companies to comply with existing federal law. By ensuring that accessibility can be considered when the FMCSA registers these companies, H.R. 3985 provides the Department of Transportation with additional tools to promote accessibility without removing from the Department of Justice its statutory role to enforce the ADA. CCD appreciates your leadership on this issue and urges prompt action by the House of Representatives in support of the bill. If we can provide any assistance, please contact the below named co-chairs of the task force. Sincerely, Jennifer Dexter, Easter Seals, jdexter@easterseals.com On Behalf Of: American Association of People with Disabilities |
