Felicia Beltran, ADA/Title VI Compliance Coordinator for the City of Scottsdale, AZ, shares her perspective on the city’s updated ADA Transition Plan and what it means for residents, visitors, and the broader community. The initiative demonstrates how Scottsdale is moving beyond accessibility to create a city truly built for everyone. Bringing together Matrix Design Group and Direct Access—now part of the Matrix family—the project combines technical expertise with lived experience to ensure the plan is both comprehensive and achievable, reflecting Scottsdale’s commitment to inclusion, transparency, and community engagement.
Interview with Felicia Beltran, ADA/Title VI Compliance Coordinator
Why did the City of Scottsdale/Selection Committee choose Matrix Design Group and Direct Access for this project, and what strengths do these partners bring to ensure the plan is both comprehensive and achievable?
Matrix Design Group and Direct Access were selected for their proven expertise in accessibility planning and infrastructure design. Together, they bring a balance of technical precision and lived experience ensuring that Scottsdale’s ADA Transition Plan is both data-driven and community centered. Their combined approach integrates federal compliance standards with practical, implementable solutions that reflect Scottsdale’s vision for an inclusive city.
What does accessibility mean to the City of Scottsdale?
Accessibility is a visible and ongoing commitment to creating a city that is welcoming, inclusive, and functional for everyone. It means ensuring that every resident and visitor can move through, engage with, and enjoy Scottsdale without barriers.
Why is the timing of this initiative in 2025 significant? Was it driven by new funding, community feedback, updated ADA requirements, or a combination of factors?
City Council approved the update to Scottsdale’s ADA Transition Plan on March 4, 2025. The timing reflects Scottsdale’s growth and commitment to ensuring accessibility keeps pace with infrastructure expansion. In 2025 alone, the city added over 365 ADA compliant ramps, bringing the five-year total to 3,814, including 45 new ramps in Old Town Scottsdale that enhance mobility for residents and visitors. This initiative also strengthens alignment with federal requirements and creates a structured forum for community feedback, ensuring that Scottsdale’s accessibility efforts remain responsive and transparent.
How does updating the ADA Transition Plan align with Scottsdale’s broader values and long-term vision for inclusion?
Scottsdale’s values of dedicated service, transparency, and innovation all depend on building a supportive community where every person belongs. Updating the plan ensures accessibility remains integrated into every city department, project, and service cementing inclusion as a foundation for Scottsdale’s growth and leadership.
What outcomes do you hope this plan will achieve for residents, visitors, and the community as a whole?
The plan demonstrates Scottsdale’s integrity and transparency in doing what is right, acknowledging that meaningful progress takes time. Each milestone represents a tangible improvement in daily life, building public trust while making the city more accessible and livable for all.
How does Scottsdale define accessibility in a way that goes beyond compliance—making the city more inclusive for residents with disabilities, seniors, families, and others who benefit from accessible design?
For Scottsdale, accessibility extends beyond codes and regulations. It’s about creating welcoming experiences, whether in physical spaces, digital platforms, or public engagement. Our goal is to ensure that everyone can fully participate in civic life, from attending events to accessing city services, without barriers.
What role will community input play in shaping the priorities and solutions identified in the plan?
Community input serves as the compass for this plan. Public comments, site-specific feedback, and lived experiences will guide barrier-removal priorities and future capital planning. Residents know best where challenges exist; our role is to listen, respond transparently, and turn that input into action. This update includes an active, citywide outreach campaign to ensure every voice is heard.
What message do you want residents, visitors, and surrounding communities to take away about the city’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion?
Accessibility is not an afterthought, it’s a priority. Scottsdale is proactively designing environments that anticipate accessibility needs rather than react to them. This commitment strengthens our economy, enhances tourism, and reinforces Scottsdale’s identity as a forward-thinking, welcoming city for all.
How do you see Scottsdale’s efforts benefiting not just this city, but serving as a model for other communities in Arizona and across the U.S.?
Tourism is a cornerstone of Scottsdale’s economy, and accessibility directly supports that success. By embedding accessibility into every aspect of planning and design, Scottsdale demonstrates that accessibility and prosperity go hand in hand. Our approach aims to inspire transparency, collaboration, and innovation across Arizona and beyond.
Looking ahead, how do you envision accessibility continuing to shape Scottsdale’s future identity as a community?
Accessibility will continue to guide how Scottsdale grows, shaping design standards, transportation networks, and civic participation. As the city evolves, accessibility will remain the foundation for progress. When everyone can fully participate, Scottsdale thrives.
Scottsdale’s updated ADA Transition Plan is more than a roadmap for compliance—it’s a commitment to building a city where everyone can fully participate and belong. By embedding accessibility into every aspect of planning and design, Scottsdale is setting a standard for inclusion that other communities can follow.
Stay tuned as the Scottsdale project progresses and for other ADA initiatives currently underway by the Matrix and Direct Access team.
You can also check out the recent media coverage by AZ Family by clicking here.