Current Projects
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Increasing Minority Participation
BORP is continually increasing the number of minority and immigrant participants in our programs. With a grant from the US Department of Education Rehabilitative Services Administration, BORP has successfully completed a 3-year minority outreach project designed to reach 400 new immigrants and minority individuals with disabilities to inform and involve them in existing and new recreational activities.
This project also sought to connect these individuals with a wide range of service providers for a variety of educational and recreational needs; to attract volunteers with linguistic and cultural expertise; and to create relationships with community service agencies that serve minority and immigrant communities to assist in locating potential participants, and to build the infrastructure for continued outreach to minority individuals. Read more about BORP’s minority outreach project highlights and results in our Report. (PDF)
BORP Initiates Group Trip Pilot Project for Youth & Adults with Disabilities
BORP has been awarded a 2-year grant from the Alameda County Transit Improvement Authority (ACTIA) to conduct a group trip transportation pilot project in Northern Alameda County for children, youth, and adults with disabilities participating in sports and recreation programs. The project will address the existing gap of accessible group-trip transportation for children, youth and adults with disabilities. The project responds to the PAPCO priority of “Expanding the spectrum of transportation services and resources available to seniors and people with disabilities in Alameda County.”
Youth participating in the BORP sports programs are often too young to utilize AC transit, BART, or paratransit without a parent. Because many of these youth are low income, parents may not have the means to drive them on the weekend. Without BORP providing transportation, many of these youth are not able to participate in sports activities.
Most recreation programs and team sports programs, such as wheelchair basketball or power soccer, require that groups of wheelchair users be transported at the same time. The BORP model allows for transportation of at least 5 persons who use wheelchairs in one vehicle with one driver. To do this with current service providers, one would need five vehicles with five drivers, a very costly prospect.
Grant funds will be used to address this gap in providing group trips for children, youth, and adults with disabilities – particularly minority and low income individuals. BORP has also received a Federal Transportation Administration grant (5310 program) for a 27 passenger accessible vehicle will have capacity to accommodate 5 riders in wheelchairs. More can be accommodated if riders can transfer and use portable chairs. ACTIA funding will be used for the accessibility modifications to the vehicle, as well as for the start-up service, including a Transportation Coordinator and Vehicle Driver(s). The new vehicle will expand the current BORP transportation program by serving not only more BORP participants, but also other groups needing accessible group trip transportation.
Project benefits include: increased access for individuals with disabilities in group transportation for sports and recreation; teams of disabled youth and families with disabilities will be able to travel in groups in a manner that is equal to non-disabled individuals; individuals with disabilities will benefit from peer support and bonding experienced in group travel; and a model will be developed and tested that may be replicated in other parts of the county.
You can find more information on ACTIA at: http://www.acta2002.com/