For Immediate Release
07/06/2020
Contact: Tina Pinedo
202.567.3519 x119
[email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC – The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) commends the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Moving Forward Act.
The bill reauthorizes many of the surface transportation programs expiring this fall while also including several provisions that will benefit people with disabilities. The legislation includes long-overdue provisions such as requiring Amtrak to perform a comprehensive assessment for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and a prohibition on Amtrak requiring the use of mandatory arbitration, an improved ADA complaint process at the Federal Transit Administration’s Office of Civil Rights, an expansion of the one-stop paratransit idea to prevent long wait times between multiple trips, and guidelines setting minimum accessibility standards for pedestrians in the public right-of-way.
“We have long worked to ensure that transportation is accessible for people with disabilities and believe this legislation will bring us closer to realizing a truly accessible transportation system in this country,” said NDRN Executive Director Curt Decker. “Transportation is a core component of independent living and is inextricably linked to community integration. This bill will empower individuals with disabilities to more easily shop, get to the doctors, a job, or school.”
Congress must continue its work on this bill to reauthorize important surface transportation programs and keep our nation on a path toward full accessibility. We urge the Senate to quickly take up the Moving Forward Act and put it on the path toward becoming law.
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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 P&A/CAP Network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.
