At ESPA, we remain committed to furthering
accessible transportation in our nation through the provision of technical
assistance on the ADA. Over the past year, we produced over 20 new products, provided
on-line and in-person training to over 2,000 customers, responded to roughly 3,000
technical assistance inquiries, and participated in over 70 events (e.g., trainings,
large meetings and conferences). We also worked with our partners to further
support work on specific initiatives, including youth transportation, the
intersection of health and transportation, mobility management, and livability.
In cooperation with the Regional
Transportation Authority of Chicago, for example, we launched a pilot program
with the Chicago Public Schools Office of Special Education and Supports to
implement and assess a comprehensive transportation education program to
support the district’s transition services for students with disabilities. In
the spring, ESPA managed and operated a national online dialogue on veterans’
transportation. Sponsored by the Federal Coordinating Council on Access and
Mobility and the U.S. Department of Defense, the conversation was open to U.S.
veterans, service members, their families, community service providers, and
anyone else interested. We were honored to be a part of the effort to better
understand the transportation needs of veterans and the discussion to improve
transportation options for them.
ESPA looks forward to continuing to work with
communities across the U.S. and our Federal partners in 2013. As a Federal
Transit Administration technical assistance center on the ADA, we remain deeply committed to helping communities
expand and develop transportation services that work for everyone in the
community. As a transit director wrote to us this summer, “Our fixed-route
driver training program was taken directly from ESPA's website as well, and has
had a tremendous effect on how our drivers view all of our riders (not just the
ones with visible disabilities).”
Please visit our website, use our materials, attend our trainings, network with us at events, and
let us know how we can continue to improve and expand what we do. We wish everyone
a happy new year and look forward to supporting your communities as they
further independence for all through fully-coordinated, accessible
transportation systems!
Mary Leary
Vice President of the Easter Seals Transportation Group
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