Promising Directions - Mississippi

Accessible Transportation in Jackson, MS

In an initial meeting with city officials, LIFE of Mississippi presented 20 issues raised by consumers regarding public transportation. The issues were grouped into 3-4 categories, and LIFE documented the city's response to each, keeping track of complaints/issue/response. When J-TRAN (Jackson Mississippi's Transportation System) said that money was the barrier to resolving these issues, LIFE discovered that J-TRAN was not seeking federal funds.

When no action was taken on resolving any of the issues, LIFE sought a meeting with the Mayor. Two individuals also filed a complaint with the Department of Justice. When no meeting could be arranged, LIFE conducted a protest—and the Mayor met with them immediately. In the meeting, LIFE asked for three things:

1. An ADA Coordinator for the City
2. A Disability Advisory Committee
3. Money for J-TRAN

Persistence pays off—as does being ready with the answers as soon as the questions are asked. Because LIFE was able to respond quickly when they were called upon, all of LIFE’s requests were granted.

The Southeast DBTAC supported LIFE during this process by providing them with the information they needed quickly. For instance, when LIFE was asked to create a job description for an ADA Coordinator, the DBTAC immediately referred them to several ADA Coordinators, which LIFE in turn relayed to the Mayor’s office. Another example of quick response on LIFE’s part came when Pshon Barrett asked LIFE to identify specific barriers in the J-TRAN system. LIFE has trained Americorps members with disabilities to conduct facility access surveys, so these young people are now identifying and documenting access problems. In addition, one of the LIFE staff members is conducting “seat of his pants” research: he is riding the buses all through Jackson and photographing and documenting barriers to access, including inaccessible bus stops, throughout the J-TRAN system.