# . . .

Stole Council on Developmental Disabilities
• web ill • www.scdd
.co .gov •**emo~** •**counc~@scdd.co.gov** April 22 , 2015 Secretary Anthony Foxx U
. S
. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave , SE Washington , DC 20590 1507 21st Street. Suite 210 Sacramento. CA 95811

RE: Support for Access Services ' Petition for Rulemaking Dear SecretaI)' Foxx: STATE OF CALIFORNIA Edmund G. Brown Jr. Governor 1916) 322-8481 1916) 443-4957 fox 19 16) 324-8420 nY

The State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) is a California state agency mandated to create policies and promote services that will improve the lives of the 300,000+ people with developmental disabilities in this state. Members of the SCDD are appointed by the Governor. SCDD's Los Angeles office services nearly one-third of those individuals, who have either intellectual disabilities, autism , cerebral palsy, epilepsy, or other disabilities
. Thousands of our constituents are riders of Access Services
. We are writing in support of Access Services' Petition for Rulemaking that asks for an amendment to the Department of Transportation's regulations concerning the calculation ofAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit fares. Access currently uses a simple, two-tier coordinated fare that has been in existence for nearly twenty years. It was implemented after consultation with the disability community and a number of advocacy groups; it is a coordinated fare among all of the 43 municipalities who are member organizations of Access ; and it is easy for riders to understand. We are very concerned that any new fare system will be significantly more complex and lead to confusion among our clients
. We are also concerned that a new fare system will lead to higher fares for many clients , most of whom live on fixed low incomes
.

"The Council advocates, promotes & implements policies and practices that achieve self-determination, independence, productivity & inclusion in all aspects ofcommunity life for Californians with developmental disabilities and their families
. " 

# s 10-150429-009Secretary Anthony Foxx Page2 April 22 , 2015
The ADA has provided significant improvements for people with d isabilit ies in the last 25 years . The Federal Transit Administration deserves credit for ensuring that trans it agencies comply with the regulations
. However, in this instance , we wo u ld urge the Department to amend the regulations to allow Access ' coordinated fare to continue as it has for the last two decades
. Thank you for your consideration
. Please contact me if you wish further inf ormation at 916-322-8481 or via email at: aaron .carruthers@scdd
.ca .gov. 

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Aaron Carruthers 

# r.o,... Acting Executive Director



# s 10- 150429-009

### ... . State Council on Developmental Disabilities 1507 21 t1 Street, Suite 210 Sacramento , CA 95811

secretary Anthony Foxx**5',.:';\f:R~'-~· .ENTC'll**  0\957 23 APR**~:.15** fit·1 f; i.

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