Guide for Resources and Opportunities for Transportation Advocacy (GRO-Trans):
National Advocacy Resources
(October 2002)

There are many nationwide advocacy organizations working on behalf of people with disabilities; this list includes organizations that specifically provide support to advocates for transportation or access-related issues, as well as a few government agencies that provide information of value to advocates.

ADAPT
201 S. Cherokee
Denver, CO 80223
(303) 733-9324
http://www.adapt.org/
ADAPT is a national advocate for community-based living for people with disabilities, particularly alternatives to nursing homes and institutions. ADAPT helps groups organize for local change and is actively pursuing legislation to allow Medicaid dollars more flexibility to fund “services and supports” and let dollars “follow the person.”

Community Transportation Assistance Project
1341 G Street NW
10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
(800) 891-0590
http://www.ctaa.org/ntrc/ctap/index.asp
CTAP, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Community Transportation Assistance Project, provides information and answers to your questions about transportation issues, such as accessibility, coordination, funding opportunities, training, management and legislation and regulations. Contact Dianne McSwain, DHHS Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at dmcswain@os.dhhs.gov.

Community Transportation Association of America
1341 G Street, NW
10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 628-1480
http://www.ctaa.org/
CTAA is a national “professional membership association of organizations and individuals committed to removing barriers to isolation and to improving mobility for all people. CTAA conducts research, provides technical assistance, offers educational programs and serves as an advocate in order to make coordinated community transportation available, affordable and accessible.” The association specializes in medical, employment, rural, senior, and disability-related transportation, as well as transit financing, training, and service development.

Council on Disability Rights
205 West Randolph, Suite 1645
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 444-9484
http://www.disabilityrights.org/
The Council for Disability Rights is a non-profit advocacy organization that “promotes public policy and legislation, public awareness through education, and provides information and referral services” to people with disabilities. CDR operates programs in Chicago, but its advocacy work is national. Click on "Taking Action Against Structural Barriers" to see a list of challenges people with disabilities face and how to go about seeking change; they invite submissions of barriers and will research possibilities for creating change and post their findings to the site. They also have an FAQ on the ADA.

DisabilityDirect
http://www.disabilitydirect.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=126
Also titled "DisdabilityInfo.gov," this web site for the Bush Administration’s New Freedom Initiative offers offers a wide range of information on accessible transportation systems, community transportation initiatives and federal laws and regulations to improve access and availability of bus, rail and air travel. It is a “comprehensive plan to reduce barriers to full community integration for people with disabilities.” It is a work in progress a site. For example, information on travel training is listed but not yet provided, but it is a useful source of information on what the federal government is doing to address transportation barriers, as well as helpful for planning tavel on planes, trains and busses. (The site links in several places to the Easter Seals Project ACTION site detailed below.)

Easter Seals Project ACTION
700 13th Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005
(800) 659-6428
http://projectaction.easterseals.com
Easter Seals Project ACTION is funded by the U.S Department of Transportation, Federal Transportation Administration and is one of the most comprehensive transportation advocacy efforts in the country. The acronym ACTION stands for Accessible Community Transportation In Our Nation, and the Project “promotes cooperation between the transportation industry and the disability community to increase mobility for people with disabilities under ADA.” To that end, Project ACTION has funded over 100 local projects, supports projects with technical assistance, and provides wide-ranging information of value on its site. The Project ACTION 800 line connects you with staff that can answer questions about rights, refer you to resources, or discuss “diverse accessibility issues.”

Federal Transit Administration
400 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
http://www.fta.dot.gov/transit_data_info/reports_publications/reports/910_ENG_HTML.htm
FTA's “Planning Guidelines for Coordinated State and Local Specialized Transportation Services” will help you to understand and evaluate how the government funded services might be better coordinated to address the needs you see in your community, as well as to advocate more effectively for systemic changes in state and local service.

National Council on Independent Living
1916 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 209
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 525-3406
http://www.ncil.org/
The National Council on Independent Living is a membership organization that “advances the independent living philosophy and advocates for the human rights of, and services for, people with disabilities to further their full integration and participation in society.” Currently transportation is not the focus of an NCIL committee. Contact Courtland Townes, III, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at courtland@ncil.org.

Transportation Equity Project
Center for Community Change
1000 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 342-0567
http://www.transportationequity.org
The Transportation Equity Project supports local advocacy efforts by providing “technical and organizational assistance to community organizing projects” and bringing “community organizations working for transportation equity together to help strengthen their hand in regional, state and national transportation policy debates.” Click on "Our Mission" to learn more about TEP and the criteria they use in choosing which organizations/projects to assist.

US Department of Transportation
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
http://www.dot.gov/
Click on "Citizen Resources" to learn more about the US DOT’s accessibility resources. The DOT's Transportation Service Coordination program (http://www.its.dot.gov/TravelManagement/transportation_service_coordination.htm) concentrates on “better utilization of transit agency resources, reducing the isolation of the transit/paratransit users, provide advisory information to transit/paratransit users, and improving the timeliness of trips for transit/paratransit riders.”