ADA & Trails Issues

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Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas

The Access Board has final published (June 20, 2007) the proposed guidelines in the Federal Register. There is a public comment period running until October 18, 2007. Most likely the Trail Conference will submit a formal response. Watch this page for developing issues.

Some other resources:

• National Trails Training Partnership

Access Board

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (aka Access Board) is charged with setting up the regulations for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). See Accessibility for People with Disabilities. In particular , the Access Board's Regulatory Negotiation Committee on Outdoor Developed Areas (aka RegNeg) is charged with making a proposal to the full board by July 1999. At that point there will be a public comment period. The primary representative for the hiking community is the Appalachian Trail Conference. The American Hiking Society usually sends an observer to the meetings. There are very few "real" hikers on the committee of 26, mostly bureaucrats.

Summary Paper by Dave Startzell, Executive Director, Appalachian Trail Conference - Dave would like comments from the hiking community by early April so he is prepared for the late April meeting of the RegNeg committee. Send comments to info@nynjtc.org and they will be summarized and forwarded.

The following two documents were scanned and OCRed from Access Board documents:

• FAQ
• Summary of January 1999 meeting

See also:

• Beneficial Designs Home Page
• American Trails ADA pages

USFS

The USFS has decided to not wait for OMB to rule on the Access Board rules on backcountry use. They have proposed something close to the Access Board rules. Their rules are now open for public comment and linked to below. If USFS succeeds in getting their rules adopted, they are likely to set a pattern for all other rule making attempts. This could affect Trail Conference area trails even though none of them are on USFS land. 

ATC was intimately involved in the Access Board rules (see above) and are continuing to be involved in evaluating the USFS rules. Any Trail Conference people who want to comment may do so via ATC or on their own.

Background Terminology

• Trail Class Matrix
• Trail Condition Assessment Matrix

2002 proposals

• ATC Review of USFS ADA Policy (read this first)
• issues/ADA/combined_FSTAG_doc_11_12_draft.pdf
• issues/ADA/FSTAG_Qs_and_As.pdf
• issues/ADA/draft_FSORAG_with_preamble_08_1.pdf
• issues/ADA/FSORAG_Qs_andAs_1.pdf
• issues/ADA/02_FS_AccessCombinedComment.pdf
• Summary PowerPoint for TC

2005 proposals

• ATC is reviewing the documents and will be posting its comments on its Web site at http://www.appalachiantrail.org/protect/issues/access.html. Background information and relevant links are currently available at that location.
• Copies of the Forest Service documents may be obtained on-line at: http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/accessibility
• Summary PowerPoint for TC (in preparation)

2007 Actions

The Access Board has posted their version what they want the rules to be and are accepting comments until October 18. At least ATC, AHS and NYNJTC have submitted comments. The USFS has also submitted comments. See everyones comments here.