Civil Rights and Accessibility

Americans With Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Title II of the ADA requires that state and local governments give people with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from all programs, services and activities.

Notice of Availability of Auxiliary Devices

It is the policy of MTC, MTC SAFE and BATA to provide auxiliary devices to people with disabilities to ensure effective communications with all citizens of the Bay Area.

For People with Hearing and Speech Impairments:

Communication with MTC, MTC SAFE and BATA may be made using a telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD), also known as a text telephone (TTY). Our TDD/TTY number is (510) 817-5769.
Assistive listening devices are available when attending a meeting in the MetroCenter Auditorium. Devices may be requested from the committee secretary. Advance notice is preferred by contacting the MTC Public Information Office at (510) 817-5757.
For sign language interpreter, reader, written materials, or other ADA accommodations, please notify MTC at least three working days in advance of the meeting for which they are requested (five or more days’ notice is preferred), and every effort will be made to provide assistance. Printed materials are available in alternative formats upon request. Please call MTC at (510) 817-5757 (or TTY/TDD 510.817.5769) for more information.
Access to call boxes in the nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area is now available with TTY keyboards and screens. Similar communication systems are also present in bridge call boxes on the Carquinez, San Mateo and Benicia bridges. MTC SAFE is working toward installing additional bridge call boxes on the remaining Caltrans-owned toll bridges. All TTY call boxes are handled in our private call-answering center by staff members with the ability to receive and respond to TTY calls.

For People with Visual Impairments:

Readers may be requested to attend meetings, with a minimum of three working days in advance of the meeting. (Five or more days’ notice is preferred.) Such requests may be made through the MTC Public Information Office at (510) 817-5757.
Meeting agendas and routine agenda item write-ups may be requested; allow at least three working days (72 hours) in advance of the meeting for which they are requested. (Five or more days’ notice is preferred.) For people with voice synthesizer-equipped computers, agendas and meeting materials are available on MTC’s website (www.mtc.ca.gov/meetings/schedule/), and we offer electronic transfer of written materials or CD. Otherwise, the usual means of translation will be audio recording or Braille. Please call the MTC, MTC SAFE and BATA Public Information Office at (510) 817-5757.
Other written communications may be requested through the Public Information Office noted above. In determining how to make such written communications available, we will take into account the specific needs of the requestor, cost, time constraints and the type of documents to be provided, choosing between audio recordings, Braille translations or electronic transmission via computer or CD. Please note that we may take up to four weeks to copy lengthy reports and documents. There will be a charge for the cost of copying if we regularly charge for copying the requested documents.

Accessibility to MTC’s Website

We are pleased to provide an electronic medium for accessing information about our programs and services. If you have any suggestions for improving accessibility features of our Web site, please contact our web master, Brenda Kahn, at the following e-mail address: bkahn@mtc.ca.gov.

In compliance with applicable requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 794; and Section 16 of the Federal Transit Act, as amended, 49 U.S.C. § 5310(f); MTC provides the following assistance to the visually and hearing impaired:

Hearing Impaired Visitors – Requests for Transcripts:

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission regularly posts live audio streams from meetings of the full Commission and selected committees on our Web site, and archives them on the site for approximately 30 days after the meetings take place. In addition, from time to time we videotape a meeting or workshop, and post the videotape on our web site. If you are hearing impaired and need a transcript of these materials, please contact the MTC Public Information Office at TDD/TTY (510) 817-5769, or by e-mail at info@mtc.ca.gov.

Information for Users Who Are Visually Impaired:

Our web site has been improved to be used with screen readers. Because we have a navigation bar at the lefthand side of most pages, and because a few pages feature multiple columns, you may need to reformat pages into a single column. Most images on our web site are accompanied by alternate text image tags that should be readable if your browser supports the alt-text function. Each major item on the navigation bar is also listed on a site index that can be found here. We will link to the site index from the home page as well as from most other pages.

If a web page has an on-line form or document that is not accessible, please contact the MTC Public Information Office to request an alternate format. MTC’s Public Information Office can be reached at (510) 817-5787, or by e-mail at info@mtc.ca.gov.

Share Your Concerns

If you have a concern regarding MTC’s compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact MTC’s manager of Administrative Services, Teri L. Green, via e-mail at tgreen@mtc.ca.gov or at (510) 817-5750.