Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott, Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn, Human Services Secretary Mike Smith and Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living Commissioner Monica Caserta Hutt today announced the upcoming 2019 Governor’s Summit on the Employment of People with Disabilities, featuring noted author and activist, Travis Roy, as keynote speaker.
Roy is a motivational speaker and former college hockey player. On October 20, 1995, eleven seconds into his first-ever shift for the Boston University men's hockey team, a 20-year-old Roy slid head-first into the boards, cracking his fourth vertebra and leaving him a quadriplegic. That fateful night signaled the death of one dream but also the eventual rebirth of hope. After spending months in a hospital bed and becoming a wheelchair user, Travis gradually found the grit and will to reclaim a fulfilling and productive life.
The summit will connect Vermont’s transportation and workforce professionals in an invitation-only morning session to discuss existing transportation services, mobility innovations and potential gaps in current transportation systems for Vermonters with disabilities, especially in rural areas. The goal of the morning session is to create district action plans and statewide recommendations to Governor Scott for continuing to reduce transportation barriers for people with disabilities in getting to work and training.
The morning session will be followed by a public luncheon at 12:30 p.m. featuring Roy’s keynote address (participants can pre-register at LINK). A press conference featuring Governor Scott and Roy and will follow at 1:30 p.m.
Event Details:
Monday, December 2
Public luncheon begins at 12:30 p.m.
Press conference begins at 1:30 p.m.
Doubletree Hotel, 870 Williston Road, South Burlington, VT
About the Agency of Transportation (VTrans)
Our vision is a safe, reliable, and multimodal transportation system that grows the economy, is affordable to use and operate, and serves vulnerable populations.
About the Department of Disabilities, Aging & Independent Living (DAIL)
Our mission is to make Vermont the best state in which to grow old or to live with a disability - with dignity, respect and independence.