The RTA and Ray Graham Association Partner to Make a Difference

At the RTA, part of our mission is to ensure access to public transportation regardless of a person’s ability. As part of this work, we administer federal Section 5310 funds to community organizations through our Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program. Our partners use that funding to support initiatives that meet the specific needs of older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Today we’re highlighting the work of one of our great partners, the Ray Graham Association (RGA), a non-profit organization in DuPage County that empowers people with disabilities through a wide range of services and programs.

One of their services is the Comprehensive Transportation Program, in which the agency coordinates with other groups that serve the disability community, schedule meetings for individuals, and help plan transportation services to get these riders where they need to go. RGA has a 71 vehicle fleet that travels on average 626,000 miles per year between its community based residential homes, community learning centers and other various locations throughout the region.

Recently Fluturi Demirovski, our Senior Analyst of Program Management, visited RGA’s Bell Community Learning Center. She took a ride in a paratransit vehicle and learned about the driving program. She toured the learning center and visited with a few program participants.

[caption id="attachment_4160" align="alignnone" width="6000"] RGA-RTA Assisting with Fluturi’s ride were two women who attend Bell CLC, Dina and Elizabeth.[/caption]

The RTA helps offset the non-profit’s operating costs, like maintenance of vehicles, through federal Section 5310 funds. To get more insight, here’s a video that follows a day in the life of five women supported by the RGA and highlights the costs of meeting the needs of people with disabilities who live in these communities.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r80-D3m8NyY]

The RTA is proud and will continue to partner with organizations like the RGA to help people meet their life goals. We aim to empower those with disabilities to live the highest quality of life possible, which not only benefits them but our society as a whole.