Commuters with disabilities mark 15th anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act
Law has improved transportation for thousands around Chicago, but gaps in the system remain

CHICAGO (July 5, 2005) — As the 15 th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) approaches on July 26, people with disabilities and their advocates are celebrating the success of the transportation provisions of this important civil rights law — as far as Chicago is concerned.

“The promises of the ADA in public transportation have been fully realized for Chicagoans,” says Allan I. Bergman, president and CEO of Anixter Center, “but there are promises still to be fulfilled in the areas of employment and housing.”

The ADA has improved transit for Oak Park resident Steve Armstrong and thousands of others in the Chicago area in the past 15 years. Armstrong, who uses crutches to walk, takes three buses every day to his job in Anixter Center’s Packaging Service. He utilizes the buses’ kneeling feature to enter and exit. Anixter Center is a nonprofit human services organization in Chicago with 70 programs in 35 locations. Its mission is to assist people with disabilities to live and work successfully in the community.

“I depend solely on the CTA to get to work,” Armstrong says. “I have no trouble boarding or exiting.”

In 1993, only 45 percent of Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) buses were equipped with lifts. However, all of the CTA’s fixed routes are now accessible. Still, disability advocates believe much work still needs to be accomplished before people with disabilities achieve full inclusion in society. The National Council on Disability recently cited a 2002 Bureau of Transportation study reporting that 6 million Americans with disabilities have difficulty attaining the transportation they need.

“Everything is accessible, but there are ongoing issues,” says Phil Shayne, manager of regional services at the RTA. “We need to change attitudes and educate and train staff about priority seating and voice annunciators (for CTA stop announcements). It’s ongoing and staff intense.”

Nikole Heusman, a person served in Anixter Center’s Community Resources and Support program, is visually impaired and rides the bus every day. A CTA rider for 17 years, Heusman has benefited from the recent addition of electronic stop announcements.

“The stop announcements work pretty good,” Heusman says. “When I first started riding the bus, I had to tell the driver my stop and the driver had to move people from the handicap seating so I could sit near him. He would tell me when I was supposed to get off the bus.”

CTA train stations meet accessibility standards with elevators at “key” stops. One of the primary objectives of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project is to enhance all stations so they are accessible for people with disabilities. Four Red Line stations and three Brown Line stations north of the Loop are accessible. Meantime, Armstrong, who has ridden the CTA for more than 25 years, is satisfied with the system’s bus services. Shayne notes that there were 82 percent more lift deployments on buses in the first half of 2004 than in a similar period during 2003.

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The mission of the Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center is to assist people with disabilities to live and work successfully in the community. Anixter Center is a leading provider of high-quality vocational, residential and educational options, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and health care. Anixter Center is an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to be full and equal members of the community.