In the United States, nearly one-third of people are nondrivers. While some people choose not to drive, many are not able to do so due to disability, age, income, immigration status, revocation of license or other reasons. Nondrivers are dependent on family, friends, transit programs, walking, rolling or biking to accomplish daily living needs like getting to work, social activities, and accessing healthcare and other community services. Most of our country, particularly in rural areas, is a patchwork of programs that often do not cross county lines, are available in timelines that do not work for people or may not be available at all. When new programs emerge, they center on a specific population or need, but do not solve the systemic issues of transportation inequity and lack of access. Transportation equity requires significant system change that goes beyond a patchwork of programs. One tool for moving us forward is interdisciplinary coalition building, where people with lived experience, policymakers, advocates, state and local agencies, regional planners and transportation providers bring multiple perspectives and skills together to strive towards comprehensive and larger scale change. In this webinar, participants will learn about two of these coalitions that can serve as models for regional or statewide efforts in your area—the Wisconsin Nondriver Advisory Committee and the Washington Nondriver Report. Participants will learn how these groups are structured, the breadth of membership and the accomplishments of each. Denise Jess is Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired and is a lifelong non-driver due to blindness. She co-leads the Wisconsin Nondriver Advisory Committee and is a Transportation Commissioner with the City of Madison, Wisconsin. Anna Zivarts is a low vision parent, nondriver and author of When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency (Island Press, 2024).
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