Facility Accessibility

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rule 29 C.F.R. 1614.203 of the Rehabilitation Act calls for federal agencies to develop an Affirmative Action Plan that encourages the hiring of individuals with disabilities, prevent discrimination, provide reasonable accommodations, and offer accessible facilities and information technology.  Specifically, the rule requires the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to post in our public Web site, and make available to employees the following:

1. An explanation of employee rights under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA)
2. Provide contact information for an agency employee responsible for physical accessibility issues, and
3. Instructions for how employees can file complaints alleging violations of accessibility requirements of the ABA.

Facility Accessibility and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) of 1968

The United States Department of Transportation is committed to providing workplaces that are accessible to everyone. The Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 requires access to facilities designed, built, altered, or leased with Federal funds. Federal agencies are responsible for ensuring compliance with the ABA standards when funding the design, construction, alteration, or leasing of facilities. The Access Board was created to enforce the ABA, which it does through the investigation of complaints. (The Board was established under section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act). Anyone concerned about the accessibility of a facility that may have received Federal funds can file a complaint here with the Access Board. http://cts.access-board.gov/formsiq/form.do?form_name=ABA%20Complaint%20Form%20-%20Facility%20Information

Reporting Facility Accessibility Concerns

The DOT is committed to ensuring that our workplaces are accessible and do not pose barriers to individuals with disabilities or medical conditions. Should you encounter any concerns regarding the accessibility of a DOT facility, please report the issue to your immediate supervisor.  You can also report any facility accessibility issue by sending an email to facilitiesmanagement@dot.gov.

The DOT facility accessibility reporting process is as follows:

1. Employee facility accessibility concerns should first be reported to the employee’s immediate supervisor.
2. The supervisor will next report the accessibility concern to the location senior official (Division Administrator, Region Administrator, Site Supervisor for the Line of Business, etc.)
3. The location senior official will report the accessibility concern to the Operating Administration’s headquarters Associate Administrator of Administration, or appropriate Operating Administration’s Facilities Management Office.  For some Operating Administrations (i.e. the Maritime Administration), concerns may also be reported to the Human Resources Office.
4. If the accessibility concern is at a facility leased through the General Services Administration (GSA), the Operating Administration’s Facilities Management Office will act as a liaison with GSA and the location senior official to investigate and resolve the matter.
5. If the accessibility concern is at a DOT owned facility, the Operating Administration’s headquarters Facilities Management Office will investigate and resolve the matter directly.

For additional questions, contact Thomas Black at 202-366-6754 or Thomas.Black@dot.gov.