Technology Place was asked by the Marketing Department of the Orange County Transportation Authority to determine the size and demographic characteristics of the market for paratransit services under the terms of prospective tightening of eligibility requirements as established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The project involved surveys and focus group feedback from primary service delivery providers in Orange County. Technology Place subcontracted with California Survey Research Services Inc. for the telephone surveys, and with Louise Kroot Associates for the targeted focus group sessions.

One facet of the project was to identify the relevant market segments of the larger ADA-eligible community. OCTA wanted to define the market categories so that it could target information and services to receptive consumer groups. Technology Place developed a database of over 400 service providers. Working with the Marketing Department, the marketplace was disaggregated into 18 sub-categories of target groups.

A second consideration was how OCTA could most effectively distribute training and marketing materials into the ADA marketplace: what primary service delivery "partnership" opportunities could assist this process.

In addition to providing answers to these specific concerns, the focus group feedback and surveys provided OCTA with a clearer perspective on the desire of the ADA community to be considered as "mainstream" rather than a "disadvantaged" constituency. This subtle, but significant difference in approach resulted in the identification of other improvements OCTA could make in its internal training, education and procedures which would strengthen its relationship with this large and growing customer base.

Date:February 1993
Location: Garden Grove, CA
Client: Orange County Transportation Authority, Marketing Department
Contact: Karyl Chase
Sub-contractor: California Survey Research Services Inc.
Contact: Ken Gross
Sub-contractor: Louise Kroot Associates
Contact: Louise Kroot

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