beyerle presentation

WWW.PROJECTACTION.ORG

The Transportation Connection to HealthyLiving in Small Urban & Rural Communities

Rachel BeyerleResources & Publications Manager

Easter Seals Project ACTION NADO 2013 Rural Transportation Conference

Greenville, S.C. April 25, 2013

2

Overview • Introduction to Project ACTION

•National Focus on Healthier Living through Expanded Transportation Options

• Transportation Needs for Medical Services & Appointments

• Wayfinding & Community Walking Improvements

◦ Signs, pathways, pedestrian markings

• Getting the community involved

◦ Neighborhood groups, schools, senior centers, local officials

• Infrastructure improvements for accessibility

• Driver & Pedestrian Safety

• Learning Events

Project ACTION (Accessible Community Transportation in Our Nation)

Promoting cooperation between the transportation industry and the disability community since 1988 to Increase mobility for people with disabilities under the ADA and beyond through training, technical assistance, and resources

Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Departmentof Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, to provide training, technical assistance, research and outreach

National Center on Senior Transportation (NCST)

Increasing transportation options for older adults and enhancing their ability to live more independently within their communities

3

Easter Seals Project ACTION

A Few Facts…

► Established in 1988

► Funded through a cooperative agreement with theU.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit

Administration

► Promotes cooperation between transportation industry and the disability community to increase mobility for all

► Provides education, technical assistance, resources & outreach

► Staffed by Easter Seals staff members in Washington, D.C.

4

What We Do

Introduction to Travel Training – San Mateo 2012• Offer in-person & online courses

• Introduction to Travel Training

• Print & online publications for awareness and education

• Videos and online toolkits for education and community

engagement

• One-on-one technical assistance on ADA, transit service

provision, accessible facilities

• Who participates? Transportation Providers, Planners,

Engineers, Advocates, Education Professionals, Service Providers

5

Rooted in livability principles: Transportation Choices & Housing Economic Competitiveness Community Revitalization Value Communities & Neighborhoods

Why is this important to ESPA? Identify transport options for the 56 million people in the U.S. with disabilities living in their communities

Improve both pedestrian AND driver safety for all age groups (including youth and older adults)

Involve residents in community decision-making and taking preventative steps to maintain their own health

National Focus on Healthier Living& Accessible Transportation Options

Credit: Stephen Davis, T4America

6

New Resources to Involve Individuals in Improving Well-Being through Transportation

• Planning for Transportation After Medical Services

Advisory Committees

• Neighborhood Wayfinding Assessment Pocket Guide

• Driver & Pedestrian Guide to Sharing the Road Safely

7

Transportation & Medical Services

Planning for Transportation After Medical Services • Developed in partnership with the American Medical

Association for physicians and patients• Patients may not have thought about what to do if they

cannot drive due to health• Encourages thought process on options, how to find out

about transportation • Starts conversation with healthcare professionals and

family members • Decrease in missed appointments, improved recovery

and continued socialization of patients

8

How You Can Get Involved

Planning for Transportation After Medical Services

• ESPA plans to release a rural health version

• Adaptable for veterans’ caregivers

• Involve medical services professionals, public health representatives, patient navigators and mobility managers in your planning process and advisory committees

• Share availability of this guide with health professionals and physician offices in your community

9

Neighborhood Involvement

Neighborhood Wayfinding Assessment

Pocket Guide • Developed in partnership with the CDC Healthy

Aging Research Network

• Includes a built-in assessment tool of signs, pedestrian features, lighting & walkways

• What is wayfinding & how to conduct an assessment

• Assessment tool can be modified for rural, small urban & urban areas

10

How You Can Get Involved

Neighborhood Wayfinding Assessment

Pocket Guide • Organize a neighborhood group to conduct a field

check• Encourage county/city/MPO or RPO engineers and

planners to participate• Have a local official or state representative

involved—part of ward meeting, neighborhood watch, night out, school activity

• Consider how assessment feedback can be used in asset management

11

Pedestrian & Driver Safety (May 2013)

Driver & Pedestrian Guide to Sharing the Road Safely

• Primary audience: drivers (newly licensed), walking & cycling commuters

• Avoiding dangerous distractions • Driving, Walking, Bicycling – All have

responsibilities• Reminders about crosswalks, turns & signals• Developed in response to requests for drivers to

be more aware of pedestrians with disabilities• Applies to all age groups

12

How You Can Get Involved

Driver & Pedestrian Guide to Sharing

the Road Safely

• Raise awareness among traffic safety officers, local or campus police, DMVs, Drivers Ed, Schools

• Include recommendations in your own training for employees who regularly drive

• Consider pathway, signage, obstruction removal, and signal changes that could improve pedestrian and driver sightlines

13

Learning Events & Technical Assistance

Distance Education, Courses & Webinars

•Accessible Transportation Technical Support (ATTS)

• Experts to help you design a local plan, on-going

technical assistance, peer-to-peer connections

June 5th Webinar on Local Transit Agency Policy Development

•Archived webinars on accessible communities, pedestrian

crossings & environmental barrier analysis

14

Let’s Get Moving!

• 11% of U.S. transportation trips madeby walking; 40-45% will walk to work orshopping if it’s within a mile

• Physical inactivity costs $177 billion per year in medical costs; accounts for 16%of deaths (APHA)

• Reduced rates of heart disease, high blood, Alzheimer’s, stroke, Type II Diabetes, certain forms of cancer, depression

• An investment in accessibility encourages movement!

Source: A Walking Revolution/Everybodywalk.org

15

Contact Us

• Explore our resources at www.projectaction.org

• Sign up for a distance learning event

• Call for technical assistance at (800) 659-6428

Rachel Beyerle, Resources & Publications Manager

Easter Seals Project ACTION

1425 K Street NW, Suite 200 • Washington, D.C. 20005

(202) 347-3066 or (800) 659-6428

rbeyerle@easterseals.com

The New Yorker

Check our

website for

events &

resources!

We’re just around

the corner!