• Austin, Texas: The City Council adopted the S.M.A.R.T (Safe, Mixed-Income, Accessible, Reasonably Priced and Transit-Oriented) Housing Initiative to stimulate the development of affordable housing by providing incentives to private developers and encourage collaboration between the public and private sectors. By September 2001, more than 6,000 single-family or multifamily units were under the review or inspection process. By September 2004, 4,000 new single-family or multifamily units had been completed. In 2004 approximately 1,600 to 1,700 more units were completed, with 78% of them reasonably priced, nearly doubling the 40% target. For more information, see the S.M.A.R.T. Housing Policy Resource Guide, at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/ahfc/downloads/smartguide.pdf.
• Austin, Houston, El Paso, Tarrant County, and Dallas, Texas: Fannie Mae recently recognized the Texas Home of Your Own Coalition (Texas HOYO) as an excellent example of a successful home ownership coalition. The coalition unites multiple partners to help people with disabilities through every step of the Home-ownership process from counseling people with disabilities as they prepare for homeownership to helping people during the post-purchase period as they adjust to homeownership. To date Texas HOYO has helped more than 200 people with disabilities purchase their own homes in the urban and rural sections of Austin, Houston, El Paso, Tarrant County, and Dallas. The majority of participants have mobility impairments (58%) and incomes at or below 50 percent of the area median income (69%). For more information see http://www.cms.hhs.gov/promisingpractices/txhoya.pdf.
• Little Rock, Arkansas: The Arc of Arkansas has renovated three properties in Little Rock with a total of 106 rental units containing universal design features near public transportation. For more information, see http://www.arcark.org
• Alexandria, Virginia: Alexandria and other Virginia communities use the Virginia Real Estate Tax Relief Program for Elderly and Disabled Persons to help reduce housing costs for thousands of Virginia residents. For information, see at http://www.virginia.edu/coopercenter/vastat/taxrates2002/02section03.pdf.
• Georgia: Georgia’s EasyLiving Home Program encourages builders to construct and market accessible single-family homes and townhouses. For more information, see http://www.easylivinghome.org.
Irvine, California: Universal Design: Homes for the Future Today is a consumer education program designed to expand accessibility in single-family homes. For more information, see http://www.cityofirvine.org/depts/cd/buildingsafety/accessibility_universal_design.asp.

• Virginia: The JAUNT serves as a rural service provider, a leader in commuter transportation, a coordinated human service agency transporter, and an urban paratransit provider. JAUNT uses federal and local funding to supplement fares and agency payments. Local governments provide 30% of its revenue, the Commonwealth of Virginia provides 14%, and federal sources constitute 25%. Agency contracts for service account for another 13% and Welfare-to-Work grants provide an additional 10% of income. Service is available between 6:30 a.m. and midnight, Monday through Saturday, and between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Sunday. JAUNT provides 1,200 trips every day. Approximately three-quarters of these trips are for people with a disability. For more information see http://www.ridejaunt.org/
• Wyoming: Sweetwater County public transportation’s transit authority (STAR) provides transportation to the general public and to agencies on a contractual basis, and serves the sparsely populated 10,400 square mile area of Sweetwater County in southwest Wyoming. STAR has funding from more than 10 different sources, including state agencies, employers, and community organizations. STAR is the fiscal agent for the county’s transportation funds and operates with an annual budget of approximately $500,000. Although all buses and vans are equipped with wheelchair lifts, only about 30 % of all rides are provided to people with disabilities, and 25% to the elderly. While riders must generally call 24 hours in advance, approximately 10 % of STAR’s rides are provided on a same-day basis. A 1997 U.S. DOT study determined that, through coordination, Sweetwater County and its municipalities save more than $1.6 million per year, or $3.50 in benefits for every $1.00 spent on STAR. For more information e-mail Judy Owens at starbus@fascination.com.
• Charlotte, North Carolina: The global positioning system (GPS) is an innovative program with portable devices empowering people with visual impairments to better navigate the city’s public transportation system. The BrailleNote GPS and talking GPS systems that they produce and/or distribute provide blind people with access to a vast database of location information for businesses and points-of-interest in towns and cities across the globe. The inventor, a man with low vision, partnered with the Charlotte Area Transit Service (CATS) and the Metrolina Association for the Blind (MAB) to launch the first system that provides comprehensive bus-stop location and route information tailored specifically for the blind and severely visually impaired. The transfer of bus information to GPS users is just one part of a larger effort by CATS and MAB to get relevant information to the blind and visually impaired. People can call in from home or from their cell phones, and customer service agents will be trained to know what information visually impaired people need and why. When detailed bus route information is made available, the BrailleNote GPS and talking GPS systems can be used in two ways: if users want to find a restaurant on their way to work, they can request a search that gives them a list of all restaurants a specific distance from their bus route. Alternately, users can request a search for a restaurant in the city. They then choose a restaurant and set it as their destination. For more information, see www.gps-talk.com.
• Broward County, Florida: Transportation Options (TOPS) provides paratransit service for clients of for-profit and nonprofit agencies and serves as ADA’s complementary paratransit provider. For more information, contact Transportation Options (TOPS) at (954) 357-6794
• Allegan County, Michigan: offers workers transportation to jobs and other destinations Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. until midnight with 12 employees and runs 12 vehicles, 6 of which are lift-equipped. For more information, contact Dan Wedge dwedge@allegancounty.org
• Santa Clara, California: The Guaranteed Ride Program (GRP), a public/ private partnership, offers CalWORKS (California’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program) participants a short-term transportation service should they need a back-up ride. For more information, contact Kathryn B. Heatley, katieh@outreach1.org
• The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) used its JARC funds (Job Access and Reverse Commute Program grants given to state and local agencies) to implement five flexible service demonstration programs in Rhode Island’s low-density suburban and rural communities that provide people with disabilities with a reliable zoned-based transportation system. For more information, see www.ripta.com/schedules/index.php/section/60\
• Chicago, IL, San Francisco, CA, Fort Lauderdale, Fl, Las Vegas, NV, Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA all have accessible taxicabs. There are ordinances in Chicago and Los Angles that requires a percentage of their taxicab fleet to be accessible.
• Tax Support for Improved Transit: After a successful effort led by disability advocates, and the faith community, residents of six cities in Kent County, Michigan, passed a millage increase to fund expanded transportation services. For more information contact dave.b@disabilityadvocates.us.

• Bloomington/Monroe County, Indiana involves university students in efforts to raise awareness about accessibility issues and certifies businesses that comply with accessibility guidelines. Building on ADA accessibility guidelines, the Council on Community Accessible (CCA) created the AccessAbility Decal Program to evaluate and certify businesses and buildings for accessibility. CCA formed a partnership with Indiana University and designated interior design students as evaluators who go into the community to review businesses using the screening tool. Generally, CCA picks a category and assembles a list of local businesses in the chosen category and sends the students out to evaluate the businesses on the list. Following each of the evaluations, a letter detailing necessary improvements is drafted by the Community and Family Resources Department, signed by the CCA chairperson, approved by the city’s legal department, and sent to the business owner, who voluntarily makes the recommended improvements. A representative from the Community and Family Resources Department or a volunteer from the CCA will reassess the business until all the improvements have been made. When improvements are completed, an AccessAbility Decal” is awarded to the business. For more information http://bloomington.in.gov/egov/apps/services/index.pl?path=details&id=903&action=i&fDD=1-303.
• Portland, Maine: Portland has invested a good many resources in making its ferry terminals, dock facilities, and boats accessible to people with disabilities, providing ramps and ingenious lift systems to board people with wheelchairs, and accessible bathrooms at the dock and on the ferries. Although Portland has many old historic structures, it has adapted some of these buildings to make them accessible, often using innovative technical solutions. In 2001, the National Trust for Historic Preservation bestowed a Preservation Award to the Portland Observatory project.
• Kansas City, Missouri: dedicated curb ramp crew to ensure that streets are made accessible for people with disabilities. Since the program was initiated in 2000–01, approximately 400 curb ramps have been completed along thousands of miles of roadway. For more information, email Michele_Ohmes@kcmo.org
• Nashville, Tennessee: In 2002, after a yearlong commissioned study during which the streets and every foot of Nashville’s 727 miles of sidewalk were assessed, the Mayor’s office unveiled the “Nashville-Davidson County Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways.” For more information go to http://pw.nashville.gov/WEBPROD/SidewalkMain.asp

• Eastern Shore, Maryland: The Eastern Shore Business Leadership Network (ESBLN) promotes the employment of persons with disabilities. The ESBLN Web site (www.esbln.org) is the first site in the nation designed to link job-ready candidates with disabilities to employers across the Delmarva Peninsula. The Web site allows employers to search for prescreened job candidates and allows candidates and agencies to search for job openings with employers. The ESBLN actively works with the Maryland CareerNet One-Stop, which encompasses the Maryland Division of Rehabilitative Services (DORS). In 1998, DORS reported 182 successful competitive employment outcomes. In 2002, after working in partnership with the ESBLN and the one-stop career center for a couple of years, the number of successful outcomes had risen to 247, and, after a one-year follow-up, the retention rate of those employees was 85%. For more information see http://www.esbln.org.ww.usbln.org.
• Maryland: The governor’s QUEST Internship Program for Persons with Disabilities allows people with disabilities to gain work experience. In 2004, 25 people filled a variety of positions. Interns receive a $3,000 stipend for three months of full-time work and $1,500 for part-time work, paid through the OPSB. For more information about the QUEST internship program, contact Steven Serra at sserra@dbm.state.md.us.
• Uptown Bill’s Small Mall in Iowa City, Iowa, houses a group of small businesses owned and operated by people with disabilities. The business owners include people with chronic mental illness, cerebral palsy, brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, diabetes, and dual diagnosis of mental illness and alcoholism; some use wheelchairs. In addition to the eight owners, Uptown Bill’s Small Mall has dozens of volunteers who maintain the property. Many of the volunteers are people with disabilities; others are social work students from the University of Iowa. Businesses include a coffee shop, a bookstore and a venue for local music that is alcohol and smoke free, and is also used as a center for Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. For more information, see Uptown Bill’s Web site at http://www.uptownbills.org.
• Chicago, IL: The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) has hosted Chicago’s version of National Disability Mentoring Day (NDMD) since 2001; and, in October 2002, Mayor Richard M. Daley created a Mayoral Task Force on Employment of People with Disabilities through an Executive Order. For more information about Chicago’s NDMD, see the City of Chicago Web site at http://www.cityofchicago.org.
• Flint, Michigan, Career Alliance, Inc. “Customized Works!” is a new program that may be instrumental in changing the way that One-Stop Centers, rehabilitation organizations, and other providers do business in terms of training and finding employment for people with disabilities. For more information about customized employment, see the Department of Labor’s Web site at www.dol.gov/odep/tech/employ.htm; and for more information about Customized Works! See www.careeralliance.org/cworks/.

• Minnesota: Minnesota Disability Health Options (MnDHO), a voluntary program, is a specialized managed care program for working-age people with physical disabilities who are eligible for Medical Assistance (MA), with or without Medicare. MnDHO integrates delivery of all Medicaid and Medicare services. Beginning in January 2005, prescription drugs will be included in the contract. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) administers the MnDHO program and pays Medicaid capitation to UCare Minnesota, a nonprofit health plan. The program began in September 2001 and by October 2004 had 350 members. Slightly more than 50 % are dual Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries. For more information, contact UCare Complete Toll Free: (877) 523-1518; TTY: (800) 688-2534 AXIS Healthcare (651) 641-0887 Web: http://www.axishealth.com
• Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Partnership Program integrates health and long-term support services, and includes home and community-based services, physician services, and all other health care services. The Department of Health and Family Services contracts with CBOs and they subcontract with hospitals, clinics, home health agencies, residential providers, nontraditional service providers, pharmacies, and other providers. Individuals must be either age 55 or older, or age 18 to 65 with a disability to enroll in the Partnership Program. A key component of the Partnership Program is team-based care management. Under this arrangement, the enrollee, who is the central figure on the team, his or her physician, a registered nurse, a nurse practitioner, and social service coordinator or social worker develop a care plan together. As of September 2004, 1,712 people were enrolled in the Partnership Program at four Wisconsin sites. For more information see http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/WIpartnership/index.htm.

Supportive Housing Initiatives:

• Arkansas: Sponsored by Robert Wood Johnson and the Cooperative Bank Development Corporation, Arkansas received one of nine Coming Home Program grants to create an assisted living model to serve low income seniors by reducing shelter payments to about $350–$400 per month and funding necessary support services though Medicaid.
• Connecticut: Connecticut has several initiatives designed to reduce reliance on institutional care by delivering services to frail elders, who, without such assistance, would need to relocate to a nursing home. In 2001, Connecticut received a three-year $800,000 grant to facilitate the transition of 150 nursing home residents into the community. To date, a total of 40 transitions have been successfully completed.
• New York: The New York City Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities/Supportive Service Programs (NORC-SSPs) were serving communities and housing developments in four of New York City’s five boroughs, where more than 46,000 seniors live.

• Phoenix: Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department’s Adaptive Recreation Services section has provided year-round, inclusive recreational programs for children, teenagers, and adults with disabilities. River Rampage is a whitewater-rafting trip for eight teenagers with disabilities and eight at-risk teenagers. Daring Adventures, an outdoor recreation program for teenagers and adults with and without disabilities includes the following adaptive programs: adaptive cycling; adaptive kayaking; sled ice hockey; hiking and backpacking and wilderness camping. Estimates show that close to 400 people have participated in Daring Adventures programs, 80% were people with disabilities. For more information, see http://www.phoenix.gov/PRL/dadv.html.
• Harris County, Texas: Harris County fully implemented the eSlate Electronic Voting System in November 2002. The eSlate device is about the size of a legal pad, 1 inch thick, and weight 5.2 pounds. Voters use a rotary wheel to navigate through the ballot and select their vote by pushing an “ENTER” button when their selection is highlighted. The system does not allow voters to select more than the allowable number of choices in a single race, but does allow voters to make changes to their ballots and to skip individual races if they so choose. After voters have entered their selections, the system presents a summary of the voter’s selections, which indicates skipped races and allows voters to verify their votes and make changes or corrections. After reviewing the summary page(s), the voter must press the “CAST BALLOT” button and an American flag icon appears on the screen, indicating that the vote has been cast and counted. The system has a special interface for people with mobility impairments, including movable buttons that can be used as an alternate method of navigating the ballot and casting votes. The system also accommodates breath-control devices, known as “sip-and-puff,” for people with severe mobility impairments. For people with visual impairments or who have difficulty reading, the system has an audio ballot reader. Harris County spent more than $25 million on the countywide electronic voting project, but on November 5, 2002, more than 650,000 voters used the eSlate system. For ore information, see www.harrisvotes.org/index2.htm.
• Minnesota: Faithways, a grassroots organization working throughout Minnesota since 2000, providing customized education programs and assistance on mental health issues. For more information, contact Mary Jean Babcock, (651) 645-2948, extension 107.
• San Francisco: AXIS Dance Company consists of seven core dancers, half of the dancers dance on two legs; the other half use wheelchairs or crutches. The company has created more than 30 repertory works, performs at major dance venues around the country and has won numerous awards and honors for its work. For more information, see http://www.axisdance.org.

National Program:

• The Experiential Education Initiative at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts integrates people with and without disabilities in two artistic internship programs. The Experiential Education Initiative (EEI) is an internship program for young adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities. For more information, contact Betty Siegel, (202) 416-8727, access@kennedy-center.org

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