Webinar: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET.

When older adults and people with disabilities are engaged in planning their transportation services, they can offer important insights that improve service. But transportation providers and planners sometimes find community engagement easier said than done. This session will feature three initiatives that are involving consumers in community transportation planning efforts:
- Live Well Springfield, convened by the Public Health Institute of Western Mass, engaged residents in a housing and transportation needs assessment and is building on that work to establish a resident-led transportation subcommittee.
- The Transportation Advocacy Coalition (TAC) in Worcester, MA built a coalition of disparate rider advocacy groups and has worked with the Worcester Regional Transit Authority to fill vacant Advisory Board seats.
- The Greater Portland Council of Governments and the region’s MPO (in southern Maine) have adopted the Community Transportation Leaders program, which engages individuals with mobility challenges through training and ongoing peer-to-peer support to identify top barriers, develop constructive recommendations to address them, and share their findings to regional and federal leaders.

Attendees will learn concrete strategies and lessons learned from each of these community engagement and inclusive planning efforts.