Project Action Announcement
May 31, 2007
For more information contact:
Betty Anderson, Transportation Specialist
Day 0r Evening (901) 274-2247
A team has been formed and efforts are under way to improve access to public transportation for seniors and people with disabilities in Memphis.
The team, whose members link the interests of transit and disability, consists of Betty Anderson, Memphis Center for Independent Living Transportation Specialist, Christina Clift, Chair of the Specialized Transportation Advisory Committee, Sharon Mount, Government Relations Director, Mid-South Paralyzed Veterans of America and Alvin Pearson, Assistant General Manager, Memphis Area Transit Authority.
They were among 20 teams from throughout the U.S. who participated in the sixth annual Mobility Planning Services Institute of Easter Seals Project ACTION in Washington, D.C. The Institute was May 14-17 at the Grand Hyatt Bethesda. The local team, whose expenses were supported by ESPA, was accepted through a competitive application process in which a commitment to improving accessibility had to be expressed.
“The event was designed to bring communities together who want to learn ways to strengthen the availability and accessibility of transportation services locally,” Ms. Anderson said. “An important way to do that is through a cross-agency approach and we intend to continue our cooperative efforts.”
An MPS faculty of national experts taught sessions on funding and legislation, coalition building, coordination of public and private network, creating additional transportation options in rural communities, increasing ridership, travel training, identifying community resources, removing barriers to access in the built environment, and understanding paratransit eligibility determination processes.
The teams also worked on their own to develop a plan.
Ms. Anderson said “Our plan involves providing community education and information about accessibility, safety and “usability” of the fixed route system, conduct community meetings and focus groups to gather information from the community about the transportation needs and barriers to use and potential system improvements. We will then prepare a presentation for MATA leadership regarding findings from focus groups, community meetings, and surveys and negotiate recommendations with MATA leadership for fixed route system improvements identified through this process that will encourage seniors and people with disabilities to ride the bus.”
Participating in the MPS Institute were teams of between three and five members from Alleghany Highlands of Virginia; Augusta, Ga; Bend, Ore; Surprise, Ariz; Tulsa, Okla; Contoocook Valley, N. H; Cumberland County, N.C.; Kanawha County, W. Va.; Latah County, Idaho; Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland; Franklin County, N.Y.; Palm Beach County, Fla.; Santa Clara County, Calif.; Santa Fe, N.M.; Southwest Wisconsin; State of Wyoming; Memphis, Tn.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Ithaca, N.Y.; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
Sponsors of the Institute and funding the teams participation was Easter Seals Project ACTION – acronym stands for Accessible Community Transportation In Our Nation – which is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Dept of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration. ESPA promote corporation between the transportation industry and the disability community to increase mobility for all people under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Memphis Center for Independent Living is a community based non-profit organization whose primary mission is to facilitate the full integration of persons with disabilities into all aspects of community life.
The Specialized Transportation Committee is an informal committee of persons and entities familiar with senior adults and persons with disabilities and their transportation needs.
Paralyzed Veterans of America is a congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated solely for the benefit and representation of individuals with spinal cord injury or disease.
Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is the local pubic transportation provider whose mission is to provide safe, reliable, affordable and accessible transportation for all individuals.
As our population ages and our troops return from the war with all types of disabilities, accessibility to public transportation has never been more important than it currently is to allow for greater independence. These agencies and others will continue to work for a public transportation system that is accessible to everyone.
