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<br />13 <br /> <br />It is the policy of the Orange County and Orange County Public Transit to abide by all provisions of <br />the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, as amended, including but not limited to those <br />stated below, in all activities, operations and relationships with—and accommodations of— <br />employees, client-customers, and the public. <br />The ADA requires that persons with disabilities receive the same level of service for transportation <br />as non-disabled persons. Services that are “separate but equal” are not acceptable (i.e., all <br />individuals using wheelchairs on one bus and everyone else on another bus). <br />All recipients must keep federally funded equipment and facilities in good operating condition; have <br />policies and procedures to maintain vehicles; and must maintain, in operative condition, those <br />features of facilities, vehicles, and other capital equipment that are required to make them <br />accessible. ADA accessibility features must be repaired promptly if they are damaged or out of order. <br />Recipients must establish a system of regular and frequent maintenance checks of lifts and ramps <br />sufficient to determine if they are operative. <br />Specific transportation provisions of the ADA as amended include but are not limited to the <br />following requirements: <br />Accessible Vehicle Availability: As required by the ADA, the County shall maintain a 100 percent <br />accessible transit fleet to ensure that persons needing a mobility device have equivalent to our <br />transportation services as ambulatory persons. <br />Maintenance of Accessible Features on Vehicles: As required by the ADA, the accessible features on <br />County vehicles are maintained to a high level, so that persons needing these features receive <br />equivalent service to persons not needing those features. <br />Adequate Time for Vehicle Boarding and Disembarking: As required by the Americans with <br />Disabilities Act (ADA), the County provides adequate time for boarding and disembarking vehicles <br />for persons with disabilities. <br />Use of Portable Oxygen/Respirator Equipment: As required by the ADA, persons using the <br />transportation service may bring a respirator, portable oxygen, and/or other life support equipment <br />on board vehicles, as long as they do not violate the law or rules relating to the transportation of <br />hazardous materials. All equipment must be small enough to fit into vehicles safely and without <br />obstructing the aisle and/or block emergency exits. <br />Service Animals: As required by the ADA any animal individually trained to work or perform tasks <br />for the benefit of an individual with disabilities, including but not limited to, guiding individuals <br />with impaired vision or alerting individuals with impaired hearing, are accepted on County vehicles. <br />Training in Securement, Sensitivity to Passengers: As required by the ADA, County transit operators <br />are trained to proficiency in the use of mobility device equipment and in passenger sensitivity. This <br />training is provided by a trained trainer within three months of employment to drive for the County. <br />Fleet Inventory <br />All Orange County Public Transit in-service vehicles meet the requirements of the ADA, and the fleet <br />is 100% accessible to mobility devices. The fleet as of September 26, 2016, is defined in Appendix B. <br />Certification <br />55