Office of Equity and Human Rights: ADA Title II and Disability Equity

03/02/2026

Survey closes March 4th

Portland is experiencing a transportation funding crisis. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is in its eighth year of budget cuts. Our streets are deteriorating, our bridges are aging, and we can't afford to make the safety improvements our communities are asking for.​

The longer we wait to repair our transportation assets, the more expensive and expansive the problems get. The cost of transportation construction has gone up, and funding hasn't increased to pay for it. Every year we receive requests we cannot fulfill to create a safer system because we do not have the funds, a frustrating situation for city leaders, Portland residents, and PBOT workers who want to effectively serve their community.

As the city's transportation maintenance backlog continues to grow, Portland City Council is considering new ways to fund the maintenance and operation of Portland's streets, sidewalks, bridges, signs, lights, and other infrastructure. Join the conversation about local transportation funding and weigh in on a variety of options and opportunities.

Online Open House:
https://www.portland.gov/transportation/budget/online-open-house-local-transportation-funding

02/10/2026

Sharing a community gathering hosted by Upstream Access, in partnership with the Oregon Livestock Council, focused on mental health resilience, connection, and collective care.
Date: Sunday, February 15th
Time: 12:00–3:00 PM
Location: East Portland Community Center, 740 SE 106th Ave, Portland OR 97216
Registration Link: www.surveymonkey.com/share/6a7d5308-6369-4b95-9fcf-e2b9533a9c5f

09/29/2025

"Oregon Becomes First State to Earn ‘Accessibility Verified’ Status from Wheel the World"

The Oregon Tourism Commission, dba Travel Oregon, has worked with Wheel the World (WTW) to earn the state of Oregon a landmark designation: the first state t...

09/22/2025

End of 2025 Season Service Updates
As you may know, Albertina Kerr will be ending its involvement in operating Kerr Bikes to focus on their core services on Sunday September 28th 2025, meaning that Kerr Bikes will no longer be the operator for Adaptive BIKETOWN after 8 years of partnership.

The Adaptive BIKETOWN season typically runs from March to October, so there will be a gap in service for the month of October and during the off-season while we are in the process of selecting a new operator to start in March of 2026. Please reach out to us if you are looking for other resources or information about how to rent adaptive bikes in Portland!

You can still rent adaptive bikes during regular seasonal hours through Sunday September 28th:

Thursdays 11am-5pm
Fridays 11am-5pm
Saturdays 11am-5pm
Sundays 11am-5pm
Mondays 11am-5pm

1945 SE Water Ave., Bldg B
Portland, OR 97214

Check out adaptivebiketown.com for more information on the bikes and services offered.

If you have any questions about Adaptive or want updates as they become available, email sharedmicromobility@portlandoregon.gov.

All adaptive bikes and equipment will be generously donated to the next operator to ensure the program’s continued success, and we appreciate your patience as things might be shifting around at the OMSI waterfront location for the next couple of weeks.

Thank you again for your support of this community and interest in the program. We’re looking forward to the next version of Adaptive BIKETOWN (Adaptive 2.0), and could not have gotten here without Albertina Kerr, Kerr Bikes, and especially the shop manager – Kristin Miller. Just in the last 4 years alone we have supported over 1,300 adaptive bike rentals through Adaptive BIKETOWN!

07/22/2025

07/17/2025

The 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is around the corner! If you’re celebrating online, don’t forget to include alt-text for your images!

05/21/2025

Our friends at Upstream Access are working with the City of Gresham on a program to share climate resilience skills, strengthen social networks, and improve emergency preparedness. Lunch is provided!

Sunday, June 8, 2025; 1-4pm; Main City Park, 219 S. Main Ave. Portland, OR

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rooted-in-resilience-disability-and-climate-justice-outdoors-tickets-1330316094249?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Questions?
Contact Denise Lopez at
Denise.Lopez@GreshamOregon.gov

05/09/2025

Earlier this year, a PBS production team visited NLS to collect information for a short video documenting how the creation of “talking books” for blind readers in the mid-1930s led to the audiobook revolution in the publishing industry. Tamara Rorie, head of the NLS Patron Engagement Section, was interviewed on camera about the first audiobooks, which were developed by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in partnership with the Library of Congress. Rorie also talked about the evolution of NLS audiobook formats, from long-playing records to today’s digital downloads, and her own experiences as a lifelong NLS patron. The 6½-minute video, now available on the American Experience | PBS YouTube page, also includes interviews with AFB’s Tony Stephens and Audible’s Diana Dapito. It’s one of short four videos in “The Curb Cut Effect,” an American Experience series that explores how adaptations originally made to improve accessibility for people with disabilities—such as audiobooks, closed captioning and the addition of easy-grip handles to kitchen tools—now are used by, and benefit, everyone.
Links to multiple versions of the video, which include one with extended audio description and one with on-screen ASL interpretation, are in the first comment below.
[Image: The PBS production team with Tamara Rorie at NLS on February 10.]

05/08/2025

Are you interested in policy and the rising costs of health care? The Oregon Health Policy Board is launching a new committees on affordability this year and is seeking community voices from people with lived experience, including individuals with disabilities.

👉🏿 Deadline to apply is May 16, 2025
👉🏻 Get details at https://www.oregon.gov/oha/HPA/HP/Pages/affordability-committee.aspx >

05/08/2025

05/07/2025

It’s Speech-Language-Hearing Month! Effective communication is an essential part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA requires public entities (state and local governments) and private entities (businesses and nonprofit organizations that serve the public) to provide auxiliary aids and services to make sure that individuals with speech, hearing and vision disabilities can understand what is said or written and can communicate effectively.

Read our fact sheet on effective communication to learn more: https://adata.org/factsheet/communication

05/02/2025

May 1st marks the start of National Speech-Language-Hearing Month! This year the ADA National Network is collaborating with American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to raise awareness about communication disorders. We will be sharing articles and resources related to making effective communication accessible and achievable for all, all month long!