A Farewell Message From Virginia Dize

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying good-bye so hard.”
A.A. Milne – Winnie the Pooh

The truth is that I began my career in transportation reluctantly. I had worked for many years in the Aging Network on long term care advocacy and home and community based services and I knew that transportation was different – even used a different language (numbers instead of acronyms!). I knew – or thought I knew – that solving the transportation puzzle for older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers was just about impossible! Seventeen years later, I’m not such a Pollyanna to think we’ve cracked it – but so much progress has been made! Transportation will always be a challenge but there are many and varied adaptable, tried-and-true approaches and new models of service that actually work.

My work in transportation – at first with the National Center on Senior Transportation, then the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center and related projects – has remained focused on older adults and people with disabilities, especially those who need assistance to ride and/or live in communities without adequate transportation that meets their needs. As I retire from work that I love and care passionately about, I know that the mission will continue even as the challenges change and grow. I also believe that new ways of supporting the travel needs of those who are most vulnerable will be discovered, tried and succeed.

It’s been a great privilege to work with and learn from so many great colleagues and transportation programs. I want especially to call out three groups who I consider to be the heroes of the transportation field.

• First are the riders and those who have not yet used community transportation services but could benefit greatly from trying it. So many older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers have generously shared their insights and ideas to make things better for themselves and their neighbors. Listen to them! They are the biggest asset available to improve transportation services for everyone.
• Second, the drivers, whether paid or volunteer, whose kindness, courtesy and patience are truly legendary. But it’s the one-on-one relationships with regular passengers AND new riders that make all the difference, especially for riders with mobility and other challenges. Drivers deserve recognition and support for what is often a difficult and underpaid job!
• Last but certainly not least are the transportation program managers whose creativity and dedication are too often invisible and too easily overlooked. It is through the persistent efforts of these professionals that substantive and meaningful change happens for the benefit of the riders and the communities in which they live and work. That work continues unabated, despite challenges.

I’m most proud of a few things that I have been lucky to be a part of:

• Community grants which began in the National Center on Senior Transportation and continued in NADTC-funded projects. Through our grant work, we have seen firsthand the amazing difference that a modest investment of funds and support can make in communities across the United States to enhance the availability and accessibility of community transportation services and open up opportunities to enable older adults and people with disabilities to stay independent and connected to essential services, family, friends and the life of the community.
• Research to document the real life transportation experiences and perspectives of older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers and providers across the United States.
• Every Ride Counts, an outcome of NADTC’s first national survey of older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers, which offers customizable materials and messaging that local transportation programs use to promote transportation options.
• NADTC’s Photo Gallery filled with prize-winning photos from around the country which showcase riders of all ages, abilities and circumstances using different types transportation to get around. These pictures can be downloaded and used for publications, websites and presentations at no cost, but please 1) credit the picture’s source, most often your colleagues in the transportation field and 2) be sure to add alt text.

I’m retiring, leaving work that I love, but my heart and my best hopes will always be with all of you as you continue the important work to make transportation accessible for all!

This blog was written by Virginia Dize, Co-Director, NADTC