Our History and Mission
In 1985, Joan Manley was paralyzed by a drunk driver, and established RATS in 1995, due to her own experience living in a wheelchair and the limited resources available to her in Rockbridge County at the time.
At the time of her accident, Joan was in her early 30s, living in California, walking her dog on the beach, and working with children with special needs. One day while driving to work, a drunk driver drove into on-coming traffic, hitting her head on. When she awoke in the hospital, she was mostly paralyzed from the chest down.
After extensive rehabilitation at Woodrow Wilson Rehab Center in Waynesboro, Virginia, Joan moved to Rockbridge County to live with her mother, Emily, a retired nurse, who took care of all of Joan’s needs. Emily picked up and carried Joan out to the car every time she wanted to go anywhere. When Emily suddenly died of a heart attack, Joan became even more stranded at home.
Joan realized that there were others in the community also stuck at home due to an absence of transportation options. She recruited volunteer drivers, applied for grants, rented vehicles, and created Rockbridge Area Transportation System. She was the dispatcher, manager, and volunteer coordinator from her kitchen table for many years.
This small, yet effective beginning has grown into a large, complex operation. RATS now serves Rockbridge and Alleghany residents who need transportation through our paid staff of drivers, schedulers, and administrators using a fleet of 12 wheelchair accessible vans, 3 cars, and an SUV. This non-emergency, door-to-door transportation service for wheelchair and ambulatory riders enables residents access to health care, day support, employment, community events, errands, and socialization to enhance and maintain their quality of life.
In July 2020, when Joan could no longer live independently, she moved to a nursing home. In pure Joan fashion, she survived two waves of COVID-19 in the nursing home, which tragically killed 25% of her fellow residents. Joan passed away on April 28, 2022 at age 73. She two-fold outlived the life expectancy doctors estimated following her accident.
When Joan was Ms. Wheelchair Virginia in 2009-2010, her platform was “Making Choices and Having Choices to Make.” RATS is committed to continuing Joan’s legacy by giving everyone in our community the opportunity to access the resources necessary to live a full life with choices.