Introduction

NADTC’s 2021 Equity and Accessibility Planning Grants provided funding to support the development of program innovations and new models for equitable and accessible transportation to meet the needs of vulnerable and underserved populations, especially older adults and people with disabilities from diverse communities.  NADTC awarded $173,495 in competitive grants to 9 communities in eight states; Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island.

Each grantee received up to $20,000 to engage in inclusive planning with community representatives from historically marginalized populations and local aging, disability and transportation organizations, and develop a written plan of action that addresses transportation equity and accessibility. An emphasis was made on engaging with community members, particularly with those who were potential users of the new service, as well as creating multi-sector partnerships in these planning grants. Below is a summary of each project and links to their final presentations. The recording and full slide deck from the final presentation as well as a summary document of the planning grants can be found at the bottom of this page.

2021 Grantees

Area Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut

Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut (AASCC) – North Haven, CT

AASCC developed a plan for the expansion of TrustedRide-Certified (TRC) in Greater New Haven. TRC is a transportation chaperone program which uses volunteers to provide door-through-door services to medical appointments. The goal for this project is to provide transportation services to African American, AAPI, Hispanic, Native American and White older adults and individuals with disabilities who face obstacles such as mobility challenges, limited technology access, language barriers, anxiety and travel avoidance, and living in underserved towns. They formed a steering committee/advisory group made up of professionals, older adults and individuals with disabilities to guide the project, collecting input from transportation users and leaders, to determine need and gauge interest in the program.

⇒ Final Presentation from Agency on Aging of SC Connecticut

Colonie Senior Service Centers, Inc. (CSSC) – Albany, NY

Colonie Senior Services Center, Inc.

CSSC, Inc. developed a plan which identified vital needs of African American, AAPI, Hispanic, Native American, and White older adults and those with disabilities due to isolation during the pandemic. The plan included a strategy to re-engage individuals in historically marginalized communities by providing transportation to medical appointments, shopping, health and wellness activities, dining, social and cultural events. CSSC already had a strong transportation program but it did not cover all communities in their region.  The two villages that did not have access to transportation have high poverty rates and include more diversity than surrounding areas. An advisory committee, made up of community volunteers, was formed and met regularly. They met with and surveyed people in the communities to be served to learn about the need for transportation and the types of trips that were needed. Utilizing volunteers from the community to guide the advisory committee was a crucial part of the success of their project.

⇒ Final presentation from Colonie Senior Services

Family Health Services (FHS) – Sandusky, OH

Family Health Services worked towards regionalizing transportation systems to increase access to medical appointments. The targeted area is a rural community that has a high percentage of people with disabilities and older adults as well as communities representing African American, AAPI, Hispanic, Native American populations. They created a needs assessment, with the help of a subcommittee from the local mobility management team, held focus groups and did a survey to learn what challenges are being faced when accessing healthcare. They discovered the need for transportation was even greater than they anticipated and will move forward with increased focus on accessing transportation and educating other healthcare agencies in the area of the results of their planning grant.

⇒ Final presentation from Family Health Services

HIRTA, Perry, IA

HIRTA Public Transit – Urbandale, IA

HIRTA built on current planning efforts to seek out marginalized voices and perspectives by more fully engaging with African American, Hispanic and White people with disabilities. They created a committee called IDEAS (Inclusion Diversity Equity Assessment) to expand the organization’s ongoing needs assessment specifically focused on improving transportation for people with disabilities. They had regular meetings, created a survey, held focus groups and a community meeting to discover the barriers people in need of transportation are facing and the desired hours and days of services. Through this planning phase a plan for improving and expanding services is in place.

⇒ Final presentation from HIRTA

North Central New Mexico Economic Development District – Santa Fe, NM

North Central New Mexico Economic Development District worked to identify longstanding mobility needs of Hispanic, Native American, and White older residents with disabilities living in five counties. They formed a steering committee of transportation and non-transportation professionals to develop a survey, hold focus groups and use an inclusive stakeholder assessment to determine the transportation needs and potential solutions for this highly rural area.

⇒ Final Presentation from North Central NM

Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging, Colorado Springs, CO

Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments – Colorado Springs, CO

Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments sought to better understand the needs of the residents of El Paso County. They used a variety of needs assessment strategies with an emphasis on the needs of the African American, AAPI, Hispanic, Native American, and White individuals who depend on specialized transit services. The findings helped them identify gaps, provide direction to specialized transportation services offered in the region, and create a list of innovative projects to incorporate into the new Specialized Transit Plan.

⇒ Final Presentation from Pikes Peak

Rhode Island College Foundation-Age Friendly RI – Providence, RI

Donavon Manor, Newport, RI

Age-Friendly Rhode Island, in partnership with Rhode Island Public Transportation Association (RIPTA) and Rhode Island College Foundation, explored using a vehicle sharing partnership to reduce transportation gaps in historically underserved communities. The project took them around the state, updating an inventory of transportation resources, engaging with community members, and connecting with organizations who may have vehicles that are underutilized. They found a non-profit agency that was interested in pursuing a partnership to pilot a vehicle-sharing transportation program in Newport, RI, focusing on a housing unit with a large number of people with disabilities, diverse backgrounds and limited income.

⇒ Final Presentation from Age-Friendly RI

Ride Connection, Inc. – Portland, OR

Ride Connection, Portland, OR

Ride Connection sought to develop a Technology Innovations Strategy, including avenues for new mobility, data standards, customer facing technology and strategic partnerships. With a focus on equity and outreach to diverse community members they distributed a survey which was translated into 4 languages, facilitated focus groups in 4 languages, and interviewed stakeholders, frontline staff and transit and other professionals to learn about the priorities of older adults, people with disabilities, and BIPOC (Black and Indigenous People of Color) communities and how people may be burdened by or excluded through innovation.

⇒ Final Presentation from Ride Connection

The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, Age-Friendly Innovation Center – Columbus, OH

The Ohio State University Age-Friendly Innovation Center focused their work towards an age-friendly transit system by engaging with individuals in communities of African American, AAPI and Hispanic older adults, individuals with disabilities and individuals with limited English proficiency. They used community meetings, focus groups, questionnaires and a transit stop audit to understand the challenges faced when accessing local transit services, particularly transit stops, and ideas for solutions for improving the local transit system infrastructure.

⇒ Final Presentation from Ohio State University

Additional Information 

• Summary of 2021 Equity and Accessibility Planning Grants
• Planning Grants Final Presentation – Recording
• Planning Grants Final Presentation – Powerpoint