ADA
ADA Topic Guide
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Transit agencies are required to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The resources in this topic guide provide information to ensure compliance with the law.
Please note: National RTAP's ADA Toolkit is a much more comprehensive resource than this topic guide.
FTA Resources
49 CFR Part 37 - Transportation Services for Individuals with Disabilities (ADA)
49 CFR Part 38 - Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Specifications for Transportation Vehicles
49 CFR Part 27 - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance
80 FR 13253 - Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities; Reasonable Modification of Policies and Practices
ADA and the FTA: Improving Transit Access for People with Disabilities (video), 2017
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) - Americans with Disabilities Act webpage
FTA - ADA Training webpage
FTA - Questions and Answers Concerning Wheelchairs and Bus and Rail Service
National RTAP Resources
101 Webinar Series: ADA and Rural Transportation, 2014
2 The Point - ADA and Sensitivity and Transporting Non-Ambulatory Passengers, 2018
ADA Driver Training eLearning course, 2023
ADA Toolkit, 2025 and ADA Section of Transit Manager's Toolkit, 2024
eLearning Videos on Wheelchair Securement, 2022
Oversized Wheeled Mobility Devices Technical Brief, 2022
Additional Resources
- America Walks' Inclusive Planning in Tribal Communities: Engaging People with Disabilities in Designing Safe and Accessible Transportation Systems, 2020
- Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) - Topic Guides on ADA Transportation, 2010
- Easter Seals Project ACTION (ESPA) - Service Animal Poster, 2014
- Guide Dogs for the Blind's Video on Transit Accessibility, 2021
- Indiana RTAP's Wheelchair Training Video, 2020
- Job Accommodation Network's Accommodation and Compliance: Hearing Impairment
- MassMobility's Community Transportation for Transition-Aged Youth with Disabilities and Active Transportation for Older Adults and People with Disabilities, 2022
- METRO Magazine's Designing and Building Accessible Bus Stops, 2017, and Transit Increases On-Demand Options for Wheelchair Users, 2019
- National Aging and Disability Transportation Center's (NADTC) Checklist for Assessing the Accessibility of Transportation and Mobility, Transportation for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD), 2021, 2021 FTA Section 5310 Compendium, 2022; Federal Funding for Transportation Programs Serving Older Adults and People with Disabilities, 2022; Resources on Rides for Employment for Older Adults and People with Disabilities, 2023; A.C.C.E.S.S. Matters, 2023; and Service Animals and Transportation, 2024
- National Center for Mobility Management's (NCMM) Higher Education Practices to Prepare Future Transportation Professionals Regarding Disability, Accessibility, and Mobility Management, 2022; Creating Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities in the Transportation Workforce, 2023
- NCHRP's Accessibility Measures in Practice: A Guide for Transportation Agencies, 2022
- OATS, Inc.'s Training Videos for Securing a Wheelchair in a Mini-Bus, 2015
- Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) and National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM)'s Examples of Mobility on Demand Policies and Public Private Partnerships to Increase Accessibility, 2020
- Sound Transit, Lighthouse for the Blind, and the DeafBlind Service Center's Effective Communications with Travelers who are Deafblind, 2024
- TRB's Opening Doors: Including People with Disabilities in the Transit Workforce, 2023 and Invisible Disabilities: Seeing the Unseen, 2023
- TCRP's ADA Paratransit Service Models, 2018, Implementing the U.S. DOT Reasonable Modification Rule, 2019, Use of Mobility Devices on Paratransit Vehicles and Buses, 2014, Use of Agency Service Agreements in ADA Paratransit Delivery, 2021, and Paratransit Fleet Configurations, 2024
- University at Buffalo's Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Accessible Public Transportation, in partnership with Carnegie Melon University.
- University of Massachusetts Medical School Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and the Center for Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Research Safe Transportation of People in Wheelchairs, 2018
- University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute Ride Safe Brochure, 2018
- University of Montana’s Rural Institute administers the Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities program and includes publications and resources about rural transportation for people with disabilities
- University of Utah's The Role of Bus Stop Features in Facilitating Accessibility, 2020
- U.S. Access Board/U.S. DOT
Standards for Transportation Facilities,
2006, Standard 810: Transportation Facilities,
and Accessibility for Passengers with Mobility Disabilities:
Part 1 and
Part 2. 2021
- U.S. Department of Justice Americans with Disabilities Act page includes ADA laws, regulations, design standards and technical assistance
- U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) - website on Section 508 compliance for federal agencies for accessible websites for people with disabilities
DISCLAIMER: The resources provided in each topic guide are not an exhaustive survey of every available resource on each topic. If you would like to add a resource to a Topic Guide, please email info@nationalrtap.org.
Updated April 16, 2025
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