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Western Connecticut Council of Governments
Municipal ADA Transition Plan Project

Municipal ADA Transition Plan Project

Municipal ADA Transition Plan Project

Overview

The WestCOG Municipal ADA Transition Plan project will result in the development of Transition Plans for sixteen municipalities in western Connecticut.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990 and generally requires that buildings, facilities and services be accessible to persons with disabilities.  Title II of the Act specifically pertains to government (federal, state and local) facilities.  The Act requires that each jurisdiction prepare a Transition Plan to identify deficiencies, recommend correcting improvements, costs, schedules and responsibility for implementation.  Two municipalities in western Connecticut, New Canaan and Ridgefield, have already completed ADA Transition Plans. WestCOG’s project involves working with the remaining sixteen municipalities (Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, Darien, Greenwich, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Norwalk, Redding, Sherman, Stamford, Weston, Westport and Wilton) to complete plans and identify opportunities to make municipal buildings and facilities accessible to people with disabilities.

WestCOG has retained a consulting firm, WT Group, to work with each municipality; their tasks include inspections of municipally owned facilities, review of programs and policies, plan preparation and stakeholder involvement.  Site visits to the municipalities began in September 2024 and are expected to occur throughout the fall and spring of 2025. 

In addition to the site visits and program reviews, the project also includes a robust program of stakeholder involvement.  This is expected to include in-person public feedback sessions and surveys in each municipality.  The ultimate result of the project will be an endorsed Transition Plan for each municipality with recommended improvements, estimated costs, schedule and implementation responsibility.  The plans will be prepared in a format that allows the municipalities to track progress and update as recommendations are implemented.  The WestCOG Municipal ADA Transition Plan Project is supported by WestCOG’s Regional Services Grant program and serves as a model for achieving economies of scale and serving the public through regional coordination.

Schedule

The study commenced in September 2024 and is scheduled for completion in September 2026.

Staff Contact

For information concerning the study, please contact Mike Wilson at WestCOG, 475-323-2074 or by e-mail at mwilson@westcog.org.