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Amidst the cold and snowstorms, we're looking forward to spring - and our annual conference. We hope you can join us in Worcester April 9 and 10 to hear directly from the people who run some of the programs you read about monthly in these newsletters.

This month's issue highlights a municipal pilot to help residents access nearby services that just happen to be out of state, a community transportation service that is helping riders stay visible in the dark, and more news related to mobility for older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals in Massachusetts.

This newsletter is compiled by  MassMobility , an initiative of the 
Conference registration is open
Registration is now open for the 2019 MassDOT Transportation Innovation Conference . Like last year, this year's conference will feature a Community Mobility track with sessions related to improving mobility and transportation options for older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals in Massachusetts.
 
T ransportation Innovation Conference
April 9-10, 2019
DCU Center, Worcester, MA
 
Please join us! This  conference is a great opportunity to connect with transportation providers, human service agency staff, Councils on Aging, regional planners, advocates, and others around improving transportation options for older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals in Massachusetts. In addition, the conference also provides a forum for networking with municipal, state, and private roadway engineers about accessibility and mobility.

Agenda
The agenda will be finalized later this month. Stay tuned for details on sessions related to age-friendly transportation, affordable transportation for low-income riders, mobility management in neighboring states, and more. Community transportation sessions will be spread out over both days of the conference. Whether you can join us for both days or just one, we hope to see you there! If you have never attended before, check out our agendas from 2018 and 2017.

Registration and Payment
Registration is open! The conference has a registration fee. If you need help paying for the conference, you can find information about scholarship and fee waiver opportunities on the conference website. Please note that t here are two separate processes this year:

1) Organizations in rural and non-urbanized areas - including Councils on Aging and other transportation providers - should apply for reimbursement through MArtap. This is a two-step process. First, register for the conference, and pay the fee. Then, apply for the MArtap scholarship for reimbursement. Please apply to MArtap by March 8.

2) Individuals with disabilities, seniors, and other self-advocates OR organizations that are current or recent recipients of grants through MassDOT's Community Transit Grant Program should apply for the Community Mobility Fee Waiver. You do not need to register for the conference. If you receive the fee waiver, you will be automatically registered.

Details are available on the conference website Contact us if you have questions.
Williamstown COA pilots medical trips to Vermont
The Williamstown Council on Aging (COA) is using seed funding to pilot a medical transportation service to Southern Vermont. After the North Adams Regional Hospital closed in 2014, many Williamstown residents switched their medical care to Southwestern Vermont Health Care located 11 miles away in Bennington, Vermont, or its satellite office just over the state border in Pownal. Since the COA only has one van, Director Brian O'Grady is reluctant to tie it up in trips to Vermont. Responding to requests for assistance with transportation across state lines, he dedicated some of his formula funds from Elder Affairs and contracted with a local transportation provider - Northern Berkshire Transport - to provide the trips.
 
The pilot, which started in January and will run through June 30, offers free rides to Williamstown seniors seeking medical care in Bennington or Pownal. Riders call Northern Berkshire Transport directly to book trips. Williamstown has also been contracting with Northern Berkshire Transport since last July on another pilot: providing evening and weekend service outside of COA van hours. O'Grady conducted surveys of town seniors to assess interest, but says that doing a pilot is the best way to determine the level of need: "You don't know until you try." If ridership is high, he will use the data to pursue additional funding in hopes of sustaining the services after current funding runs out.
Bus drivers help promote pedestrian visibility in Lexington

Earlier this winter, Lexpress bus drivers, employed by M&L Transit, raised concerns about young people getting off the bus in the evening, dressed in dark clothing, and barely visible to drivers. One bus driver, Enzo Francavilla, even called the Town on his day off to express his concern.
 
In response, transportation staff sent a newsblast out to riders, shared safety messages on its rider app, and made blinky lights available on the bus and at the Community Center/Senior Center. These lights were leftovers from the Bike Walk 'n Bus Week . Lights went quickly, and when the Town ran out, the Town's Bike Committee donated lights they had left over from a  Minuteman Bikeway Anniversary event. These lights also went quickly. As it seemed there was a need and demand, the transportation staff ordered more lights, and to make the most of a small supplies budget, the department purchased some reflective stickers that can be put on backpacks, helmets, coats, etc.

When order marketing materials or giveaways for events, consider reflective material and lights. Not only do they help promote safety, but Lexington's experience shows that they can be popular.
Grants support transportation justice
In January, Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) announced the winners of its competitive Transportation Justice and Transportation and Climate Initiative grants. T4MA selected proposals from nine organizations and one coalition to receive grants of between $5,000 and $10,000. Eight of the grantees are based in Massachusetts: four in Greater Boston, two in Central Mass, and two in Western Mass. The final two grants went to initiatives in Maryland and Vermont.
 
Seeking to support organizations that center marginalized transportation riders - whether people of color, low-income individuals, older adults, and/or people with disabilities - T4MA designed this  as a funding opportunity for grassroots organizations. T4MA focused  on outreach to organizations that work directly with underserved groups - and whose staff and boards reflect the groups served. They created a simple, straightforward proposal process since grassroots organizations often have limited capacity to pursue complicated grant opportunities. The Barr Foundation provided the funding.
 
Over 50 organizations submitted proposals. "There were a lot of really great and innovative proposals, and it was hard to choose!" shares Angela Johnson, Transportation Justice Organizer at T4MA. Grantees represent a range of service provision, advocacy, and organizing projects, and touch on a wide range of transportation options including volunteer driver programs,  pedestrian and bike improvements,  transit advocacy, community engagement strategy, and more. Over the course of the year,  Johnson will both conduct site visits to all grantees, track their progress, and provide support as needed.
MassMobility convenes travel trainers, volunteer driver program staff in peer networks
In communities across the state, organizations are running great programs. In order to help organizations learn from each other's successes, MassMobility facilitates two peer networks: the Massachusetts Travel Instruction Network for travel trainers, and the Volunteer Driver Program Network for staff operating volunteer driver programs. Both networks have email discussion lists, as well as quarterly in-person meetings.
 
On January 23, the Travel Instruction Network met for a presentation on Independent Living philosophy and its implications for travel trainers. Travel trainers help individuals with disabilities, older adults, and others learn the knowledge and skills need to ride fixed-route public transit independently and safely. Sometimes, travel trainers have a difficult time balancing independence and safety for trainees, especially trainees with cognitive disabilities. Steve Higgins, Executive Director of Independence Associates in East Bridgewater, and Dan Harris, Youth Transition Advocate at the Boston Center for Independent Living, highlighted key tenets such as "the right to fail" and "nothing about me without me" to help travel trainers understand and contextualize risk when working with trainees.
 
On January 31, the Volunteer Driver Program Network held its first meeting of 2019. Sixteen attendees - comprised of Councils on Aging, non-profit organizations, and a county initiative - gathered to discuss barriers and concerns facing volunteer transportation programs in the Commonwealth. In addition to identifying obstacles, attendees brainstormed best practices that programs can use to overcome barriers, and also advised MassMobility on opportunities for us to provide assistance. For example, when a few attendees said that marketing and outreach are challenging, others suggested building relationships with referring agencies and hospitals, as well as advertising in local newsletters. The information from the discussion will inform MassMobility's efforts to support volunteer driver programs.
 
If you are interested in learning more or joining either network, please let us know.
GLSS publishes mobility guide
A new mobility guide from Greater Lynn Senior Services (GLSS) provides information about ways for older adults to stay mobile and active. Targeted to older adults themselves, their friends and caregivers, and   staff of senior centers or human service agencies, the guide provides practical advice for confronting personal and environmental challenges to mobility. The guide covers the importance of balance and strength in retaining independence, the positive effects of exercise and healthy eating in healthy aging, some strategies for identifying challenges to retaining one's mobility, and steps to help  mitigate possible hazards in one's home and community. The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center featured the Mobility Resource Guide in a blogpost.
 
Currently, the guide is only available in hard copy, although plans are under discussion for creating electronic versions. GLSS is working to disseminate the guid e through its Kiosks for Living Well, as well as to participants in its various mobility programs.  Anyone interested in receiving the guide can contact Andreza Chaves to request a copy or to find out more.
New reports highlight age-friendly Massachusetts, volunteer transportation
In late January, Massachusetts released ReiMAgine Aging, the Commonwealth's age-friendly action plan. The plan sets forth a path for the state to build on the local, regional, and statewide efforts already underway to promote communities where older adults - and residents of all ages - can grow up and grow older together. Readers can  offer feedback on the action plan.

The National Rural Transit Assistance Program released an updated version of its technical brief  Volunteers in Transportation: Some Issues to Consider. The brief covers the financial and human capital needed to successfully start and operate a volunteer driver program. The brief discusses the advantages and disadvantages of operating a volunteer transportation program, as well as the importance of successfully managing a pool of volunteer drivers. The guide also includes links to examples of rural transit agencies that operate volunteer driver programs, as well as other print resources. 
Updates from Greater Boston
The Boston MPO is looking for feedback on the transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities, as well as ways to meet those needs. If you live or work in one of the MPO's 97 member cities and towns, submit your ideas by February 28 so they can be incorporated into the next regional Coordinated Human Service Transportation Plan. If you have questions, please contact Betsy Harvey.

RIDE customers should call (844) 427-7433 for reservations, scheduling, and dispatching. Alternative numbers that were used in the past have been discontinued.

Riders and others interested in accessible transportation issues at the MBTA are invited to join the Riders' Transportation Access Group (R-TAG).
College scholarships for teens working with seniors on transportation
College scholarships are available to high school juniors and seniors in New England who are creating multi-generational connections with older adults around transportation, livable communities, and other key issues. Winners will receive a $1000 scholarship, as well as a $1000 donation to their initiative. The MIT AgeLab and AARP are providing the funding. Students should apply by March 31.
Follow us on Twitter 

Are you on Twitter? If so, follow us @MassMobility for links to community transportation resources relevant to organizations and agencies here in Massachusetts. If you aren't on Twitter, you can still see our posts online at twitter.com/MassMobility/.

We want to know your stories

If you have suggestions for news items or topics to cover in future newsletters, please contact us or submit a guest article. Comments, questions, and feedback are also welcome.

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You can also read past issues of all MassMobility newsletters.