Allocation and Use of Section 5310 Funds in Urban and Rural America

Abstract

Public transportation is a critical part of a community's infrastructure for people with disabilities. Section 5310 of the Transportation Equity Act is a Federal program of capital assistance to address the mobility needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities. We identified 4,835 Section 5310 recipients in 49 states and the District of Columbia, and randomly selected 750 for a mail survey. The majority were organizations serving senior citizens or individuals with developmental disabilities. Only one was a tribal entity. Overall, Sec. 5310 vehicles made up 32 percent of the respondents' fleets and 75 percent were lift equipped. More Sec. 5310 resources went to those organizations serving a mix of urbanized and rural areas than went to organizations serving rural-only areas. Ten percent of the respondents reported being faith-based organizations; more of these were in urban than rural areas. Almost half of the respondents participated in some form of cooperative system but less than 5 percent participated in a consolidated system. This study provides a baseline against which to measure changes following the implementation of the Transportation Act of 2005.

Benefits and Quality of Life Outcomes From Transportation Voucher Use by Adults With Disabilities

“…Despite the growing use of transportation voucher programs, little research has been conducted on the effectiveness of such programs, particularly in terms of their impact on community participation or other QOL indicators (Gilhooly et al., ; Seekins, Enders, Pepper, & Sticka, ). In their evaluation of the Traveler's Cheque Voucher Program, Gonzalez et al.…”

Moving from Independence to Interdependence: A Conceptual Model for Better Understanding Community Participation of Centers for Independent Living Consumers

“…Inaccessible environments play a large role in reducing community participation. Unaffordable or inaccessible housing (Condeluci, 1999), lack of transportation (Seekins, Enders, Pepper, & Sticka, 2007), and limited opportunities for employment (Wilson-Kovacs, Michelle, Haslam, & Rabinovich, 2008) severely affect involvement of citizens with disabilities. For example, 10% of nondisabled people compared to 30% of people with disabilities report transportation as a major problem (National Organization on Disability & Harris Interactive, Inc. [NOD/Harris], 2000).…”

Section 5310 Transportation State Management Plans: A Baseline Review

“…Arizona's SMP appeared to focus on rural areas and precluded awards to programs eligible for §5307 funding. Seekins et al (2007) found that fewer than half of §5310 subrecipients participated in any kind of coordination and that less than five percent participated in consolidated programs. 3 Thirty-seven SMPs described state-level mechanisms, legislation, review boards, and policies encouraging or mandating coordination at local level.…”

“…If the constraint limits or prohibits coordination with other transportation providers, the project may not be funded." Seekins et al (2007) found that insurance was a major barrier to coordination and reported several reasons §5310 subrecipients gave for lack of coordination, including that their insurance did not permit it, and the organization's board of directors did not allow it. Therefore, language in the SMPs and application packets was sought that addresses this issue.…”