Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities

Established in August 2017, the RTD Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities (ACPD) facilitates communication between staff and the community of people with disabilities. The ACPD provides RTD advice on programs, policies, and activities, and works to complete the goals outlined in the annual member-driven ACPD work plan.

The ACPD Chair and the ADA Manager lead the ACPD. The ADA Manager serves as the RTD staff liaison on the ACPD, chairs the ADA Steering Committee to advance the agency's efforts to serve customers with disabilities and works hand-in-glove with the ACPD.

Meetings

The ACPD holds six meetings each year: four individually and two meetings held jointly with RTD’s Access-a-Ride Paratransit Advisory Committee (APAC).

Members of the public are welcome to provide comments, including suggestions for the annual work plan, at ACPD meetings during the public comment section. If you are interested in providing a public comment at the next ACPD meeting, please email [email protected] at least one day before the meeting, and provide your name, email address, and a brief statement about your comment. In response, you will receive a link and call-in information for the meeting.

Please note that public comment is limited to three minutes total; members of the public are welcome to stay for the meeting but may not participate in the proceedings.

ACPD Work Plan and Achievements

The annual work plan is a member-developed, member-driven tool to improve accessibility of RTD’s services. The committee collaboratively decides on a set of initiatives each year, and members choose the projects that match their interests and experience.

In 2025, the committee helped plan and execute RTD’s celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, held in August 2025. The committee also played a pivotal role in the recent renaming of Civic Center Station after Reverend Wade Blank, who advocated for Disability Justice during the Disability Rights Movement. They have championed the expansion of the RTD Transit Police Department, leading to more officers at more stations, on more vehicles, and during more of the service hours. The committee also advocated for better, and more quickly updated, signage and communication to notify customers of elevator outages at stations.

In 2026, the committee continues to collaborate with Rail Operations to provide outreach to the community of people with disabilities about the Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project. Additionally, the committee continues to review and provide feedback for both high-block reconstructions throughout the district and the Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project.

The 2026 plan also includes the following:

• Providing feedback and support in developing a highly accessible NextRide app
• Advocating for plain and simple language on documents provided to the public
• Increased public engagement, both with the wider community and RTD’s Board of Directors

Membership

The committee is comprised of seven general members, including a Chair and Vice Chair, as well as six organizational members. The general members are members of the public with an interest in, or experience with, advocating for people with disabilities. Members serve two-year terms, with the option to extend for another two years. Members cannot serve more than four years in total.

While people can apply to join the committee at any time, new members are currently only onboarded at the beginning of each year.

Organizational members advocate for communities of people with disabilities across the service area. These organizations vary in both size and scope. Many are local branches of national organizations.Generally, one employee or representative of each organization will be appointed to act on behalf of that organization. Organizational members are valued partners who may vote on any issue brought to the committee.

Multimedia/Photos

If you have photos or videos of ACPD members in the community or at events, please send them to [email protected] so we can post them on this page.