The Challenge

 

West Virginia is a beautiful state compromised of mountains, ski resorts, rivers, and tourist attractions. However, despite some major cities, it is still very rural with a rather small population. This creates issues for transportation for people with disabilities, as well as their families, friends, and coworkers. 

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First, rural terrain and high cost to construct highways creates a barrier to transportation. Since highway funding is based on tax revenue and federal dollars are based on population to bring the greatest return on investment, there are many areas that do not have adequate roads. Second, even in more densely populated areas, there is inadequate public transportation or ridership is too low to sustain existing public transportation systems. Furthermore, many counties do not have any public transportation. 

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One example of the issues of transportation our state faces is the KRT Bus system. The KRT used to have a route between the state's two largest cities, Charleston and Huntington. Unfortunately, funding was cut for the daily route and the only alternative is riding the AMTRAK train at 7:20 a.m. from Huntington to Charleston on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with the return trip after 9:00 p.m., which is impractical for most people let alone those with disabilities.

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In an effort to get feedback from individuals with disabilities throughout the state the state, a survey was developed and distributed statewide to gather information from people with disabilities and the families, staff, and other caregivers who assist them. You can more about the survey results on the Research page. 

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Despite the challenges I faced, I did not give up. Originally, I planned to sit down with state officials involved in West Virginia’s transportation department. The goal being to change the bus routes throughout the state to be more accommodating for individuals with disabilities in rural counties. However, I quickly learned that change on a state level comes very slowly and that I would need to focus on starting a regional transportation plan and expand to other counties as funding and support becomes available. Being successful in one area would hopefully lead to duplicating the program to other parts of the state. You can read more on The Future Plans page.