In recent years, discussions around the inclusion of persons with disabilities, older adults, and individuals with mobility limitations have become increasingly frequent. Yet one essential issue often remains overlooked: how people move in their everyday lives, and what accessible transportation truly means for their dignity, independence, and participation in society.

On this topic, Accent spoke with Lia Kiladze, a community development Expert, social entrepreneurship researcher, and practitioner, who is currently based in New York and works with company Allways Accessible Corp, providing Access-A-Ride paratransit services.

Lia, to start, could you brifly introduce yourself to our readers…

Thank you for this interview. My work has consistently focused on designing and improving service models that enable vulnerable populations, particularly people with disabilities and older adults, to participate fully in economic and civic life.

Currently, I am based in New York and work as a consultant with Allways Accessible Corp, a company providing Access-A-Ride paratransit services. In this role, I contribute not to daily operations, but to the development of service standards, internal policies, and capacity-building frameworks that strengthen the quality and inclusiveness of paratransit delivery.

What exactly does your role in this organization involve?

As I mentioned, my primary role involves developing service delivery policies and procedures, specifically the introduction and ongoing development of rules and standards of conduct for drivers.

The creation of organizational policies and procedures was based on a two-stage process of analysis and research. In the first stage, I conducted an in-depth review of the service delivery process, analyzed the operational model, identified existing challenges, and mapped critical communication points between drivers, dispatchers, and passengers.

In the second stage, I conducted structured interviews and informal surveys with Access-A-Ride users, aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of their real experiences, expectations, and key challenges. In particular, users were asked what they like, what they dislike, what they would like to see improved, what supports them, what causes stress, and what defines dignified service from their perspective.

This in-depth research served as the foundation for developing clear, practical, and implementable procedures for drivers that go beyond mere technical compliance. These procedures place special emphasis on respectful treatment, respect for time, effective communication, and a sensitive approach to passengers’ physical and emotional needs.

You also led trainings for drivers. What did those trainings focus on?

Yes, alongside developing policy documents, I also conducted training sessions for drivers that were based on real-life situations rather than purely formal instructions.

The purpose of these trainings was to help drivers understand that they are not merely transport operators; they are, in fact, frontline providers of a social service. We addressed topics such as communication, managing delays, taking into account passengers’ health and emotional well-being, and the stress caused by uncertainty.

The main objective of the training was to clearly explain why driver support is so important for passengers and how service quality directly affects their health, employment, and everyday lives.

Why do you see mobility as such a central issue in social inclusion?

Mobility is precisely what determines whether inclusion is genuinely functional or merely symbolic. Across my career, whether working on disability employment models, deinstitutionalization reforms, or community-based social services, I have seen that even well-designed programs fail if people cannot physically access workplaces, healthcare, or education.

In the paratransit context, transportation reliability directly affects employment retention, medical continuity, and social participation. When mobility systems work well, they enable independence. When they fail, they create cascading barriers that no amount of policy rhetoric can compensate for.

How important is it to speak publicly about this issue?

Paratransit is often discussed in narrow operational terms, routes, schedules, costs, while its broader social and economic implications remain underexplored. At the same time, demographic changes, particularly aging populations, are expanding the number of people who will depend on inclusive mobility systems.

From a professional standpoint, I believe it is important to translate practice-based learning into public dialogue. The policies, procedures, and training frameworks I helped develop at Allways Accessible Corp are grounded in real-world evidence. Sharing these insights contributes to a more mature conversation about how inclusive mobility systems should be designed, evaluated, and governed.

You also empha the international relevance of this experience, especially for Georgia. Why?

Georgia still is in the process of shifting from institutionalized disability care toward community-based, rights-oriented services. One of the most persistent barriers to employment and social participation there remains transportation.

The U.S. paratransit system offers valuable lessons, not as a model to copy, but as a framework to adapt. Principles such as recognizing mobility as a participation right, integrating transportation with employment and healthcare services, setting service quality standards, and using user feedback systematically are highly relevant for Georgia’s reform trajectory. My professional background includes adapting international practices to local contexts, and I see strong potential for such knowledge transfer in the field of inclusive mobility.

What would you like readers to take away from this interview?

I would like readers to see paratransit not as a secondary or purely technical service, but as social infrastructure that ensures dignified treatment, enables participation in independent living, and supports economic activity.

Inclusive mobility is a form of public investment whose benefits extend beyond direct users, contributing to economic activity, reducing social costs, and strengthening trust in public systems.

What plans do you have in the near future in the field of inclusive mobility?

In the near future, I plan to share the experience and knowledge I have accumulated in the field of inclusive mobility with other service provider companies, professional circles, and relevant stakeholders. Specifically, starting in January 2026, I will provide consultancy support to another service provider, Parliament Transportation Inc. My goal is to support the introduction and dissemination of practices based on high-quality service, dignified treatment, and user-centered approaches.

At the same time, I plan to work in the area of advocacy to ensure that inclusive mobility is more widely understood, specifically as an essential part of social infrastructure rather than merely a technical service. I believe that sharing experience and engaging in public dialogue on this issue are essential to supporting systemic changes that have a transformative impact on people’s everyday lives.