Notice: Some of the material on this page references our previous name: Minnesota State Council on Disability or MSCOD.
Transportation Access Advisory Committee (TAAC)
The Transportation Accessibility Advisory Committee (TAAC) is a committee of riders and advocates for the disability community that advises the Metropolitan Council on short and long-range management plans and policies for transportation services. MCD holds two seats on the TAAC.
Transportation Accessibility Advisory Committee (TAAC)
Minnesota Council on Transportation Access (MCOTA)
The Minnesota Council on Transportation Access (MCOTA) was established by the Minnesota Legislature in 2010 (MN Statute 2010 174.285) to study, evaluate, oversee, and make recommendations to improve the coordination, availability, accessibility, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and safety of transportation services provided to the transit public.
MCD’s Executive Director serves as a co-chair.
MSCOD Transportation Dialogues (2007-2010)
In November of 2007, a Transportation Dialogue was held in St. Paul in which 84 key stakeholders attended. Stakeholders present represented state agencies, transportation providers, non-profit organizations, employers and consumers of transportation. The common goal was to discuss methods to improve transportation and eliminate the barriers that exist for people with disabilities as they attempt to utilize transportation when seeking employment opportunities.
The success of this event, coupled with the need to reach out to Greater Minnesota, prompted the Minnesota State Council on Disability to offer two more dialogues the following year (2008) in Crookston and Fergus Falls. Due the success of these dialogues in Greater Minnesota, four more dialogues occurred in November 2009 in Marshall, Mankato, Brainerd, and Hibbing. To ensure the entire state was covered, a final transportation and employment dialogue took place in Rochester in June 2010. The local Centers for Independent Living were active partners in these events as well as Pathways to Employment.
The purpose of each dialogue was to hear from experts–both locally and nationally–regarding transportation issues, learn about road blocks to transportation and employment and create solutions and partnerships in the local communities. The formal presentations/agenda were the same in each location, although each area provided a local panel discussion pertinent to their transportation concerns.
As a result of the Transportation Dialogues, the number of counties in Minnesota with no public transportation dropped from 11 to 2.