Research of the Great Lakes ADA Center

People with disabilities are limited by barriers in the pedestrian infrastructure. The Chicago region is no doubt more accessible than it was 30 years ago when the ADA was passed. However, it is not clear that sufficient progress has been made to develop walkable and wheelable communities for all. Government entities with 50+ employees were required to develop an ADA Transition Plan, which is document where a local government assesses the conditions of the public right-of-way (e.g. sidewalks, curb-cuts, and crosswalks), finds any barriers that may be limiting access, and plans for their removal. Last year, our team conducted a national study of 401 government entities and found that only 13% had transition plans for review. As a follow-up, we partnered with the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) to determine the extent to which entities in the Chicago metropolitan area have developed an ADA Transition Plan. This report shows the results from a 2020 evaluation of the Chicago region’s 204 municipalities with greater than 50 employees. At the time of our assessment, we found that only 11% (22) municipalities had plans. Municipalities with plans were assessed for requirements met and overall quality. None of the collected plan satisfied all of the five ADA required elements and varied greatly in the quality. The report concludes with resources for communities and stakeholders that can be used to support more and better ADA transition planning. We hope this research can assist in furthering more inclusive and accessible communities in the Chicago area.

Read the full report, Where the sidewalk ends: The state of municipal ADA transition planning for the public right-of-way in the Chicago region.