WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Department of Transportation (DOT) officially launched the All Stations Accessibility Program—an initiative that Duckworth led the charge to include in the recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and that will provide $1.75 billion over the next five years to help build the ramps, install the elevators and make another improvements to ensure that America’s public transportation system is actually, finally usable for those with disabilities.
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“When the ADA was signed 32 years ago, it was supposed to consign ableism to the history books—yet we still have a long way to go to ensure that every corner of this country is actually, truly and fully accessible for the 61 million of us living with a disability. I was proud to lead the effort to include the ASAP Act in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and I’m thrilled that the DOT is making ASAP funding available to transit agencies today. It will go a long way toward making the roughly 900 inaccessible rail and subway stations fully accessible for all Americans.”
According to recent Federal Transit Administration (FTA) data, nearly 20% of U.S. transit stations are still not fully accessible. This program will help address that and accelerate the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) implementation of its own ASAP Strategic Plan, providing Illinoisans living with disabilities greater independence and access to employment.
