@Coleen Samuels serves as the Executive Director at the Denver Regional Mobility & Access Council (DRMAC) in Denver, Colorado where she works to promote accessible transportation to ensure people can access their community and meet their social connection needs.
Tell us about the work that your organization does. What is your mission and what population(s) do you serve?
Historically, Denver Regional Mobility & Access Council (DRMAC) has primarily served older adults, people with disabilities, veterans, individuals with low income and additional varied populations. We understand that many of these communities intersect but our programming should be as demographic-specific as possible.
Our organization's mission is to ensure people with mobility challenges have access to the community by increasing, enhancing, sharing, and coordinating regional transportation services and resources. The vision of DRMAC is to ensure people with mobility barriers have access to travel options across the region. DRMAC primarily serves Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Gilpin, and Jefferson counties.
Please tell us about the goals of the program you are involved with and how you support social connection?
Regional Transportation District (RTD) Fare Study
DRMAC’s participation in RTD's fare study feedback panels exemplify a social connection effort by fostering collaboration between community advocates and transportation decision-makers. Through this engagement, DRMAC helped ensure that fare policies reflect the principles of affordability and simplicity while addressing the diverse needs of the public, thereby strengthening relationships, building trust, and promoting shared understanding among stakeholders.
Getting There Travel Training
DRMAC has had remarkable success in providing transit training in partnership with RTD and others for community groups in the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) service area. The Getting There Travel Training helps participants become more comfortable with using public and alternative modes of transportation to access sources of social connection. Riders are taught skills such as how to access route information, trip plan, purchase a fare or pass, ADA infrastructure and equipment, navigating the bus with limited-English proficiency and to use a variety of mobility options other than Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOV).
Continued outreach, marketing, collaboration efforts and skilled trainers are the primary reasons for the success of the travel training program. The free trainings are offered in person, virtually and in Spanish for ESL learners. To date the Getting There Travel Training program has helped over 1000 participants in a 2-year period to become more informed and comfortable with using alternative modes of transportation. The trainings helped to increase the community’s understanding of the available resources to them, especially in low-income, disabled, and older adult communities.
DRMAC & RTD partnered with Empowering Communities Globally to provide three RTD Basics travel training sessions to participants who speak Arabic, Dari, and Burmese. We successfully trained a total of 67 women with the help of interpreters and the support of RTD. We are pleased to report that most of our post-class surveys indicate an increase in confidence and comfortability in using RTD.
Share one of your top achievements or a success story.
Transportation is directly connected to employment, health, education, and overall quality of life. DRMAC is on track with our goal to extend our reach to more communities.
We do this work by providing the following free programs and services:
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The DRMAC Transportation Information and Assistance Center (I&A) is a free, live-line resource to help users identify transportation options for things such as medical appointments, shopping, and employment. https://drmac-co.org/iacenter/
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The Getting There Travel Guide is DRMAC's best known and most utilized resource. The free guide is a transportation provider resource directory that highlights times, service areas, costs, contact information, wheelchair accessibility, and more. It is available in printed format, audio format, and in multiple languages. https://drmac-co.org/getting-there-guide/
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The Getting There Travel Training program provides free multi-modal transit training in partnership with various providers. This program has taught over one thousand participants how to use RTD and other transportation resources. Ninety percent of respondents have reported they feel more comfortable taking public transportation after attending the training. Trainings are offered virtually, in person and in Spanish and English. DRMAC can partner with Community Language Cooperative to provide our travel training in other languages as well. https://drmac-co.org/getting-there-travel-training/
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Transit to Table is a food insecurity program led by DRMAC. This program addresses food insecurity by providing transportation access to healthy, affordable food for individuals facing mobility and economic challenges. The program connects older adults, individuals with disabilities, and underserved populations with transportation resources that enable them to reach grocery stores, food banks, farmers markets, and community meal sites. https://drmac-co.org/transittotable/
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Through partnerships with local transit providers, community organizations, and food access initiatives, Transit to Table works to reduce barriers such as transportation deserts, limited fixed-route access, and affordability of paratransit or ride services.
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This new program represents DRMAC’s commitment to mobility justice, recognizing that access to food is a critical component of community health and well-being. By bridging the gap between transit and food access, DRMAC helps ensure that no one is left behind due to lack of transportation.
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Community Outreach and Events- DRMAC operates as the Regional Coordinating Council, meaning we oversee and organize seven county local coordinating councils, which operate as an alliance among community partners who identify and fulfill transportation needs of the Colorado communities. We receive great support from community partners and are often invited to attend and promote events. https://drmac-co.org/get-involved/
Why is promoting social connectedness important to the community/population you serve? Why and when did you start incorporating social connectedness into your programming?
Social connectedness is an important part of DRMAC's success. We are able to assist more people with transit barriers by further cultivating relationships with other grassroots organizations and various communities and populations.
Any exciting projects coming up?
We regularly host events and activities. For more information, contact me at csamuels@drmac-co.org.
Do you have tips for others looking to increase social connection and engagement programming or a key resource you can share?
Be present in the community. Listen and seek opportunities to connect with other individuals and organizations to extend the reach as far as possible.
How can others connect with your work? Do you have a project website?