Accessible Tulsa - ADA

Access to all facets of life for people with disabilities is a fundamental goal of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. To ensure that this goal is met, Title II of the ADA requires local municipalities to make all programs and services accessible to persons with disabilities.

In 1992, the City of Tulsa addressed the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act by drafting a Self Evaluation and Transition Plan. Since 1992, there has been a significant change to the city of Tulsa in terms of population, increase in physical size, streets, sidewalks and curb cuts, as well as additional City of Tulsa facilities and programs. For these reasons the City of Tulsa is initiating an updated Self Evaluation and Transition Plan.

This update includes a citywide inventory of public facilities, programs and services to evaluate where modifications are needed for ADA compliance. The City also will implement changes to remove accessibility barriers identified through the evaluation.

These requirements extend not only to physical access at City of Tulsa facilities, programs and events, but also to policy changes that governmental entities must make to ensure that all people with disabilities can take part in and benefit from the programs and services of the City of Tulsa.

The City of Tulsa has established goals and objectives for this ADA Self Evaluation and Transition Plan. These are listed below:

• Improve accessibility for all citizens
• Encourage participation from the public and disabled community
• Educate City staff and the public on the requirements of the ADA
• Develop a comprehensive list of barriers
• Provide a detailed outline of methods to remove barriers
• Provide a realistic schedule with cost projections for the removal of barriers
• Identify funding sources and opportunities to implement a barrier removal program

Self Evaluation:

One important way to ensure that the City of Tulsa meets the requirements of the ADA's Title II is through a self evaluation. The self evaluation enables local governments to identify the facilities, programs and services that must be modified or relocated to ensure that the City of Tulsa does comply with all aspects of the ADA.

Transition Plan:

The Transition Plan is the structural modifications of any public entity with 50 or more employees. The City of Tulsa then sets a plan to remove identified barriers to access.

Additionally, the City of Tulsa must ensure effective communication - including the provision of necessary auxiliary aids and services - so that individuals with disabilities can participate in all aspects of civic life.

Elements of a Transition Plan:

1. A list of the physical barriers in the City of Tulsa's facilities that limit the accessibility of its programs, activities or services to individuals with disabilities;
2. A detailed outline of the methods to be utilized to remove these barriers and make the facilities accessible;
3. The schedule for taking the necessary steps to achieve compliance with Title II of ADA. If the time period for achieving compliance is longer than one year, the plan should identify the interim steps that will be taken during each year of the transition period; and,
4. The name of the official responsible for the plan's implementation. In Tulsa, this is Krystal Reyes, Director of the Mayor's Office of Resilience and Equity.