For up-to-date information about a particular transportation service, please contact the transportation provider directly.

For general information, you may find useful information on these websites:

• Massachusetts-based information from the Department of Public Health
• MassHealth information
• DDS information
• MRC updates
• MCB resources
• DMH updates

• Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA)
• National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC)
• National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM)

Over February vacation,18 students with disabilities attended a one-week Learner's Permit program run by the Northeast Independent Living Program (NILP). Students spent their mornings studying the driver's manual. After a lunch break, students returned each afternoon to practice with a driving simulator. The PlayStation-based simulator includes a wheel as well as gas and brake pedals, and deducts points for a driver's mistakes.

 

"This all came from listening to our students," explains Rowan De Aza, Youth Services Program Manager at NILP. "We asked students what they need, what their goals are, and what independence means to them, and a lot of them said that they want their driver's license, but the learner's permit book is really hard. Some of them have learning disabilities or anxiety, so we got together and decided to run a driving support program." NILP piloted the program in 2019, and expanded it this year to serve more students and add the simulation component.

 

The first step for NILP was becoming experts in the content. A team of NILP staff split up the driver's manual by chapter. They studied their chapters, took practice tests posted on the RMV website, and developed app-based quizzes to support students in learning the content. They did everything they could to make the learning fun: "When you're having fun, it's hard to be nervous. When you're excited and not nervous, you can learn more," shares De Aza. NILP staff also worked to make the program accessible to all students, such as offering interpretation in ASL and Spanish, and helping students arrange rides to the program. NILP is currently supporting the participants in working toward their driver's licenses, and plans to offer this program again.

 

In addition to NILP, other Independent Living Centers also support youth with disabilities in getting their learner's permits and driver's licenses. The Southeast Center for Independent Living (SCIL) has a longstanding program that they regularly offer at partnering schools or at their office. Participants attend two hour-long sessions per week in which they study for the learner's permit test through a set curriculum that includes jeopardy-style games and practice exams. The class culminates with an RMV representative coming and administering the permit test onsite, with accommodations for those who need them. "It is a highly successful partnership on every level, with the schools, the RMV, the students, and their parents working together. The joy the kids have when they pass makes it so worth it!" shares Adam Young, Youth Supervisor at SCIL. In the last two years, over 100 participants have received their permit. The program is so popular that SCIL operates a waiting list, despite offering multiple sections concurrently.

 

Conrick returned on March 10 and 12 to hold a Design Thinking workshop in Ware as part of the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation's collaborative efforts - supported by a one-year planning grant from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts - to develop a replicable, sustainable model for rural transportation to improve health outcomes and influence health and transportation policy. A small, cross-sector group of local, regional, and state-level stakeholders participated in a series of facilitated exercises designed to elicit creative ideas steeped in the experiences, needs, and preferences of local residents who would benefit from increased mobility options. In future steps, the group will conduct assumptions testing and prototyping exercises to narrow down and test their ideas. To learn more about Design Thinking and how it can support community transportation, check out NCMM's Creating Innovative Transportation Solutions free online training.

 

Also on March 10, NCMM Partner Director Dr. Judy Shanley came to Lowell to present as part of a New England-wide gathering on how community transportation programs and policies can help lift families out of poverty. Convened by the federal Administration for Children and Families, the forum was part of the Whole Family Approach to Jobs initiative to support states in taking a two-generation approach to workforce development. Attendees represented five states and a range of sectors, including health and human services and transportation. After a keynote from Shanley, participants shared promising developments from their states - including DTA transportation pilots in Framingham and Worcester - and broke into small groups to reflect on what they were learning.

MassMobility    thanks Jenna Henning of MassDOT for submitting this guest article. If you would like to submit an article or have an idea for a topic,   please contact us.