Across the nation, federal, state and local entities are continuing the progress of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in access and inclusion by improving the accessibility of transportation through enhancing coordination.

In Tennessee, a coalition of disability, aging and transportation experts teamed up with legislative leaders to address better coordination with the goal of expanding and improving accessible transportation by introducing the Tennessee Accessible Transportation and Mobility Act of 2020. The effort was led by the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, which engaged people who use or need accessible transportation throughout Tennessee as key advisors. The bill passed unanimously [in] March 2020.

What does the new law do?

The Tennessee Accessible Transportation and Mobility Act of 2020 creates a new office within the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) that will focus solely on accessible transportation and offer a new and sustained level of support to localities across the state. The new law requires that by March 31, 2021, the office will produce and share with the Tennessee General Assembly:

• A mission statement,

• A five-year plan, and

• The state’s first annual report about accessible transportation in Tennessee.

Critically, the law requires these activities to be informed by an advisory committee of stakeholders that includes both transportation, aging and disability experts and people who use accessible transportation. The new statewide office will work with a diverse advisory group to identify the state’s needs and solutions that can change over time.

The law also advises government agencies to coordinate with TDOT toward the goal of expanding and improving accessible transportation and mobility across Tennessee, including state agencies that fund Medicaid (Tennessee Department of Health), Vocational Rehabilitation (Tennessee Department of Education) and American Job Centers (Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development).

Next Steps

Now that the Office of Accessible Transportation has been established by law, TDOT has appointed a lead, Emily Duchac, to the new office. Already, the office has offered competitive funding for Mobility Management programs operated by public transportation providers. This will allow TDOT to leverage the existing Tennessee Association of Human Resources Agency model to coordinate mobility through regional mobility managers. This statewide mobility management program has the goal of enhancing mobility and facilitating access to transportation in Tennessee, especially those with specialized transportation needs.

Source: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) and Lauren Pearcy, Public Policy Director with the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities.