The Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council (the Council), in collaboration with the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center (GRC), has released the 2021 Transportation Accessibility for Ohioans with Disabilities Report. This report is a follow up to the 2017 study focused on transportation challenges for Ohioans with disabilities.
Transportation is consistently cited as the number one unmet need of Ohioans with disabilities. The Council partnered with GRC to develop and conduct an accessible statewide survey to better understand transportation issues for Ohioans with disabilities.
The 2021 survey was open to all Ohio adults with one or more disabilities and all Ohio transportation providers. As a result, this follow-up study reached a diverse range of people with disabilities and transportation providers across all regions of Ohio.
In alignment with the Council’s mission to create change that improves the independence, productivity, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families in community life, the goal of the 2021 study was to answer key questions about the current status of transportation accessibility for Ohioans with disabilities, identify any new transportation challenges related to COVID-19, and help inform transportation stakeholders and policy makers, and determine needed steps to further improve accessibility.
Transportation in Ohio continues to be a challenge for Ohioans with disabilities and new challenges have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both participants with disabilities and transportation providers highlighted several main themes that would greatly improve transportation for Ohioans with disabilities. Please see the full report for a complete scope of responses and recommendations.