For Immediate Release
01/12/2022
Contact: David Card
202.408.9514 x122
[email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC – People with mobility disabilities who encountered inaccessible Amtrak stations received $2 million as part of a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ).
An investigation in 2013 by the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) found numerous barriers at stations all over the country. NDRN then submitted a complaint to the DOJ which spurred their investigation and eventual settlement with Amtrak.
Amtrak was given twenty years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990 to make stations accessible, but by 2010 had failed to make progress. Amtrak created the compensation fund which distributed the payouts to more than 1500 people with disabilities who were unable to access the railway’s stations. In addition to the compensation fund, Amtrak will bring its inaccessible stations into compliance with the law.
“Inaccessible train stations are more than just an inconvenience,” said NDRN Executive Director Curt Decker. “Transportation is the linchpin of community integration. Without it, many people with disabilities cannot go to work, go shopping, visit their friends and family, or accomplish the day-to-day tasks necessary to live in the community.”
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The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and the Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities. Collectively, the Network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.
