Volunteers needed for focus groups and technology trainings

Boulder County, Colo. - The Boulder County Transportation Department’s Mobility for All (M4A) Program became one of seven national recipients of a $70,000 Inclusive Planning Grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, in partnership with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and administered by the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA). This grant money was part of round two of the Transit Planning for All awards.

The money will be used to continue work on two projects that were identified as priority areas in round one:

• Create a business plan for a technology-based volunteer driver program for mountain communities; and,
• Curriculum development to help older adults and people with disabilities overcome technology barriers (i.e., learn how to use/become comfortable with computers, smart phones, etc.) to accessing transportation (i.e., RTD, Via, Uber, Lyft, etc.).

During round one, M4A created a steering committee, which consisted of older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, and community partner organizations. The steering committee represented a diverse range of ages, ability levels, and income levels from across the county who developed six priority areas to increase accessibility for county residents, including:

• Increase availability of accessible evening, weekend, and rural transportation services.
• Develop a network of community ambassadors to address mobility challenges.
• Overcome technology barriers through education and outreach.
• Implement a culturally responsive and inclusive engagement strategy.
• Develop a low-stress bike network and ebike/trike programming.
• Prioritize infrastructure and safety in areas of high concentration of vulnerable and underserved populations.

The two projects funded by round two of the CTAA grant are in the planning phase and include:

• Focus groups to develop a volunteer driver program in the mountain communities will be held later this summer in Allenspark, Gold Hill, Jamestown, Lyons, Nederland, and Ward.
• Technology training workshops for older adults and people with disabilities, which will likely be held this fall.

If you’re interested in volunteering to take part in either the technology training or the mountain community focus groups, please contact Angel Bond, M4A program manager, at mobilityforall@bouldercounty.org or 720-564-2216.