[blindLaw] $2.25 Million Fund Available in Justice Department Settlement with Amtrak - U.S. Department of Justice - January 29, 2021

[Nightingale, Noel]

Not blindness-related but I thought some on this list might find this of interest.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/225-million-fund-available-justice-department-settlement-amtrak
$2.25 Million Fund Available in Justice Department Settlement with Amtrak
Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Department of Justice
January 29, 2021

Today, Amtrak began accepting claims for monetary compensation for people with mobility disabilities who traveled or wanted to travel from or to one of the 78 stations listed below and encountered accessibility issues at the stations.  Claims must be submitted by May 29, 2021.
On Dec. 2, 2020, the Department of Justice and Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, entered into an agreement<http://www.ada.gov/amtrak_sa.html> to resolve the department's findings of disability discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Under the agreement, Amtrak will fix inaccessible stations and pay $2.25 million to victims hurt by inaccessibility at the 78 stations listed below.
To be eligible for monetary compensation, an individual must:
Have a mobility disability;
Be harmed physically or emotionally because of accessibility issues, including, for example, inaccessible parking; steep slopes or steps to get to the station; lack of directional signs; toilet rooms with inaccessible entrances, stalls, or sinks; high ticket counters; deteriorated platforms; and narrow routes at stations, at one or more the stations listed below between July 27, 2013, and Dec. 2, 2020;
Have lived at, visited, or desired to visit a place closer to one or more of the stations listed below than an accessible, alternative Amtrak station; and
Submit a claim form and declaration by mail, fax, email or online to the claims administrator by no later than May 29, 2021.  Help is available from the settlement administrator for those who are unable to complete the claim form due to a disability.
Questions about making claims should be directed to the settlement administrator by any of the following methods:
Online: AmtrakDisabilitySettlement.com
Email: info at AmtrakDisabilitySettlement.com<mailto:info at AmtrakDisabilitySettlement.com>
Telephone (toll-free): 1-888-334-6165
TTY Telephone (toll-free): 1-866-411-6976
Under the agreement, Amtrak has committed to make its intercity rail stations accessible, prioritizing stations with the most significant barriers to access.  Over the next 10 years, Amtrak will design at least 135 stations to be accessible, complete construction at 90 of those stations, and have at least 45 more under construction.  Amtrak will also train staff on ADA requirements and implement an agreed-upon process for accepting and handling ADA complaints.  As part of this commitment, Amtrak recently established an Office of the Vice President of Stations, Properties & Accessibility to coordinate its compliance with the ADA.
The 78 stations are:
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Yuma, Arizona
Fort Morgan, Colorado
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Granby, Colorado
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Windsor, Connecticut
Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Newark, Delaware
Gainesville, Georgia
Jesup, Georgia
Toccoa, Georgia
Centralia, Illinois
Effingham, Illinois
Gilman, Illinois
Homewood, Illinois
Mattoon, Illinois
Plano, Illinois
Princeton, Illinois
Rantoul, Illinois
Summit, Illinois
Connersville, Indiana
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Elkhart, Indiana
Hammond-Whiting, Indiana
Waterloo, Indiana
Burlington, Iowa
Creston, Iowa
Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Newton, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Maysville, Kentucky
South Shore-South Portsmouth, Kentucky
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Aberdeen, Maryland
Cumberland, Maryland
Niles, Michigan
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Staples, Minnesota
Picayune, Mississippi
Kirkwood, Missouri
La Plata, Missouri
Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Cut Bank, Montana
East Glacier Park, Montana
Malta, Montana
Holdrege, Nebraska
Elko, Nevada
Hudson, New York
Plattsburgh, New York
Port Henry, New York
Devils Lake, North Dakota
Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Lewistown, Pennsylvania
Parkesburg, Pennsylvania
Westerly, Rhode Island
Dillon, South Carolina
Alpine, Texas
Marshall, Texas
McGregor, Texas
Helper, Utah
Castleton, Vermont
Montpelier, Vermont
Ashland, Virginia
Clifton Forge, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Richmond Staples Mill Road, Virginia
Bingen-White Salmon, Washington
Kelso-Longview, Washington
Wishram, Washington
Charleston, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Hinton, West Virginia
Columbus, Wisconsin
Tomah, Wisconsin
This action was brought by the Disability Rights Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.  To read the settlement agreement, please click here, and to read the complaint, please click here.
For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt<http://www.justice.gov/crt>.  For more information on the ADA, please call the department's toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov<http://www.ada.gov>.