• Accreditation
    • Systems Accreditation
    • Quality Assurances Accreditation
    • Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation
    • Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation, With Distinction
    • Network Accreditation
    • Accredited Organizations
    • Accreditation Inquiry
  • Training
    • Personal Outcome Measures® Training
    • Basic Assurances® Training
    • Person-Centered Training
    • Enhancing Supports Training
    • Accreditation Preparation Training
    • E-Learning Courses
    • Training Inquiry
  • Certification
  • Research
    • Research Projects
    • Research Articles
    • PORTAL Data System
  • Consultation
  • Tools
    • Personal Outcome Measures®
    • Basic Assurances®
    • PORTAL Data System
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Capstone Newsletters
    • Guides
    • Manuals
    • Webinars
    • Projects
    • Events
    • Rights Conversation Cards
    • Sex & Relationships Conversation Cards
    • The CQL POST App
  • About Us
  • Partnerships
  • Pay Fees

A Decrease font size. A Reset font size. A Increase font size.

Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Partnerships
  • Pay Fees

A Decrease font size. A Reset font size. A Increase font size.

The Council on Quality and Leadership
Contact Us
MENU
  • Accreditation
    • Systems Accreditation
    • Quality Assurances Accreditation
    • Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation
    • Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation, With Distinction
    • Network Accreditation
    • Accredited Organizations
    • Accreditation Inquiry
  • Training
    • Personal Outcome Measures® Training
    • Basic Assurances® Training
    • Person-Centered Training
    • Enhancing Supports Training
    • Accreditation Preparation Training
    • E-Learning Courses
    • Training Inquiry
  • Certification
  • Research
    • Research Projects
    • Research Articles
    • PORTAL Data System
  • Consultation
  • Tools
    • Personal Outcome Measures®
    • Basic Assurances®
    • PORTAL Data System
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Capstone Newsletters
    • Guides
    • Manuals
    • Webinars
    • Projects
    • Events
    • Rights Conversation Cards
    • Sex & Relationships Conversation Cards
    • The CQL POST App
Contact Us
Resources | Capstone Newsletter | The State of Transportation For People With Disabilities
The State of Transportation For People With Disabilities

Uncovering the challenges people face in transportation options and services

Share This Post

The State of Transportation For People With Disabilities

Posted on December 8, 2016

By Mary Kay Rizzolo, CQL President and CEO

Transportation is a critical need for people with disabilities, especially those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Despite this need, Medicaid does not require states provide transportation for people with IDD. In 2003, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (2003) reported 6 million people with disabilities had transportation problems. Other recent studies have estimated that roughly 30% of people with disabilities have trouble with transportation (Feeley, 2009; Stock, Davies, Hoelzel, & Mullen, 2013; White, Simpson, Gonda, Ravesloot, & Coble, 2010), in comparison to 3% of those without disabilities who have trouble with transportation (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2003).

To explore this issue further, CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership and the University of Illinois at Chicago authored an article to explore transportation services for people with IDD. It recently gained national attention, after being featured in the online news site Disability Scoop, under an article titled ‘Study Finds Transportation Lacking For Those With Special Needs‘. This study examined Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waivers, the most prominent provider of long term services and supports (LTSS), to determine if and how states provided transportation to people with IDD. The study found that the majority of HCBS waivers provided transportation for people with IDD.

States offer transportation services in two ways:

  1. Providing transportation within another service (for example, within day services)
  2. A stand-alone transportation service. When transportation was provided within another service, it most commonly was for supported employment, residential habilitation and day habilitation. Stand-alone transportation was most frequently provided so people with IDD could access the community for errands, and recreational and social activities. Stand-alone transportation services also often were utilized to allow people with IDD to gain access to their services.

Although the majority of states provided transportation services, in order to save money, states wanted these services to be used as a last resort. States often noted that free methods of transportation, such as depending on family members, should be used before waiver services were to be utilized. This is problematic given family members also face an increased burden due to a lack of services and supports.

Inconsistency in Transportation Services

Another problematic aspect of HCBS waiver transportation services is that they varied widely across states and services. For example, while one transportation service provided people with IDD with 1,000 trips per year, another provided only two trips. In regards to expenditures, there are large disparities in state spending, with some states allocating thousands of dollars per year, while others are spending tens of millions of dollars per year for transportation-specific services. Along with this, reimbursement rates were extremely different depending on the state.

The Road Ahead

While transportation is offered for supported employment or day habilitation, it is essential that people with IDD can utilize these services more often for community integration purposes. For this to happen, there needs to be established networks and accessible systems made available for transportation.

The study recommends more standardization across states and HCBS waivers to help ensure people with IDD have equal access to transportation services. It also suggest more states develop transportation-specific services in their Medicaid HCBS waivers, along with providing transportation through bulk services. The potential benefits of voucher programs is also referenced in the study, citing the example involving the California HCBS DD waiver, where travelers were offered more flexibility in timing, distances and locations.

Increased options and improved access to transportation will turn the key to independent living and community integration. As one self-advocate in Tennessee so clearly stated, “This is my life, put me in the driver’s seat.” This statement is a strong call-to-action, both figuratively and literally.

Download full study

Additional Capstone Newsletters

Putting Barriers To Transportation In The Rear-View Mirror

Putting Barriers To Transportation In The Rear-View Mirror

June 23, 2022

Expand access to transportation to improve independence, employment, community integration, and more.

Capstone
Increasing the Social Capital of People with Disabilities

Increasing the Social Capital of People with Disabilities

April 21, 2022

Discover tips for expanding social capital, which is important for quality of life.

Capstone
Americans With Disabilities Act: Promoting Integration and Inclusion

Americans With Disabilities Act: Promoting Integration and Inclusion

July 24, 2020

During the 30th anniversary of ADA, find out ways to improve integration and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Capstone
The Realities of House Rules

The Realities of House Rules

July 30, 2019

Unlock the effect of house rules on quality of life outcomes for people with disabilities.

Capstone
Never A Stranger At My Door

Never A Stranger At My Door

June 25, 2019

Empower people receiving services to play an active role in deciding who provides their supports

Capstone
Family Wellness & Respite Services

Family Wellness & Respite Services

March 30, 2018

What respite services are, why they're important, and how some agencies are delivering them.

Capstone
Community Inclusion: Lessons Learned in TN

Community Inclusion: Lessons Learned in TN

July 27, 2017

Discover the 'Top 10' lessons learned from TN DIDD's efforts to improve community inclusion

Capstone
Older Adults: Evolving Outcomes and Supports

Older Adults: Evolving Outcomes and Supports

June 6, 2017

Receive practical information and guidance about supporting older adults.

Capstone
Autism, Outcomes, And A Call To Action

Autism, Outcomes, And A Call To Action

April 28, 2017

Learn about autism, related outcomes data, and a call-to-action from Autism Society

Capstone
Trends In HCBS Waiver Utilization For People With IDD

Trends In HCBS Waiver Utilization For People With IDD

January 19, 2017

Gain insight into HCBS waiver utilization involving spending, participants, and priorities.

Capstone
View All Resources
Shoosh
Shoosh

Capstone e-Newsletter

Receive Best Practices In Your Inbox

Capstone Newsletter Sign Up

CONTACT US

100 West Road, Suite 300
Towson, Maryland 21204

(410) 275-0488

CONNECT WITH CQL

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Expertise, insight and tips to help you improve the quality of your supports.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

CQL AFFILIATE

The National Leadership Consortium is an affiliate of CQL.

© 2022 The Council on Quality and Leadership Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designed by Top Floor

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use