A. An
individual may be eligible for ADA paratransit services on the basis of a
permanent or temporary disability.
B. If an individual meets the ADA eligibility
criteria with respect to some trips but not others, RIPTA has the right to
limit the individual's eligibility only to those paratransit trips for which he
or she meets the eligibility criteria.
C. An individual must meet the criteria of at
least one of the below-described categories to be eligible for ADA paratransit
services:
1. Category 1: Any individual with a
disability who is unable, as a result of physical or mental impairment
(including a vision impairment or cognitive impairment) and without the
assistance of another individual (except the operator of a wheelchair lift or
other boarding assistance device), to board, ride, or disembark from any
vehicle on RIPTA's fixed route public transit system that is readily accessible
to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
a. Eligibility in Category 1 is based on an
individual's inability to board, ride or disembark independently on a RIPTA
fixed route bus, as a result of his or her disability.
2. Category 2: Any individual with a
disability, who needs the assistance of a wheelchair lift or other boarding
assistance device and is able, with such assistance, to board, ride and
disembark from any RIPTA vehicle, if that individual wishes to travel on a
route on RIPTA's system during hours of operation at a time, or within a
reasonable period of time, when such vehicle is not being used to provide
designated public transportation on the route.
a. Category 2 applies to an ADA eligible
individual, who could use accessible fixed route transportation, but such
accessible transportation is not available within a reasonable period of time
on the fixed route that the individual would like to travel. This category is
route based, not system based. All RIPTA vehicles have wheelchair ramps or
lifts and other riding assistance devices. Category 2 refers to incidents when
a vehicle device is not functioning RIPTA will transport the individual within
a reasonable period of time by alternative vehicles.
3. Category 3: Any individual with a
disability who has a specific impairment-related condition that prevents such
individual from traveling to a boarding location or from a disembarking
location on RIPTA's system.
a. Category 3
concerns an individual who has a specific impairment-related condition that
prevents him or her from getting to and from a fixed route stop. Under the ADA,
this category should be construed narrowly. The key eligibility criterion
concerns the interaction between an individual's impairment and an
environmental barrier (whether distance, weather, terrain or architectural
barriers).
D.
RIPTA reserves the right to recertify an individual's eligibility at reasonable
intervals to ensure that changed circumstances have not invalidated or altered
the individual's ADA eligibility.
