The UNT ELEVAR (Empower, Learn, Excel, enVision, Advance, Rise) program’s transportation access improvement project for students with intellectual disabilities was selected by the UNT Diamond Eagles Society to receive more than $75,000 to support the addition of reliable and accessible transportation options both on and off campus.

“It is a great honor for our program to have been chosen as the wining proposal by the Diamond Eagles,” says Pam Trocki-Ables, program director for ELEVAR. “Being selected shows that community members — as well as the UNT campus as a whole — has confidence not only in our program, but more importantly our students’ abilities to be successful at UNT and beyond.”

ELEVAR at UNT is a four-year inclusive postsecondary education program for students with intellectual disabilities. The program’s vision is to empower young adults with intellectual disabilities who wish to continue postsecondary education to become self-determined, independent, and healthy adults readied for integrated competitive employment. ELEVAR is the second program of its kind in Texas and first in the North Texas region.

The funds received will allow ELEVAR to purchase an accessible 10 passenger van, along with insurance, and will support removing transportation barriers for students with intellectual disabilities both on and off campus.

“Being selected to receive this generous funding will allow our students increased access to off campus employment, professional development opportunities, networking with employers in and around the north Texas community and will allow more of our students to take consistent advantage of, and engage in, social experiences that are also critical components of successful college experiences,” Trocki-Ables says.

The UNT Diamond Eagles Society — a network of donors, alumni and community members — vote every year on a high-impact campus project to support. Since 2017, the society has funded six previous projects, including UNT’s Mean Green Acres hydroponic farm and the Diamond Eagles Community and Learning Area at the UNT Pollinative Prairie.

Trocki-Ables says that while transportation has not always been part of ELEVAR’s mission, they did not want to miss the chance to enhance opportunities for success once the need was presented.

“Research shows that individuals with disabilities are disproportionally impacted by barriers to accessing transportation,” Trocki-Ables says. “Submitting this proposal to the Diamond Eagles was a way for our program to begin to remove this barrier and allow our students to soar in and around the North Texas community.”

Trocki-Ables says that she and the ELEVAR team are actively searching for a van to purchase and begin utilizing in spring 2025. With 27 students currently being supported by ELEVAR services, the program is set to increase by 10 to 15 students with the addition of the next cohort in 2025.

“ELEVAR continues to grow and as we grow, we make it our mission to meet the needs of all the students who are in our program to allow them to be successful adults,” Trocki-Ables says.