Transportation Education Curriculum Glossary
We are providing this glossary, and links to resources that provide additional information
about the terminology, to help learners better understand terms and concepts included in
this transportation education curriculum. The inclusion of these resources does not
necessarily represent endorsement by Easter Seals, Easter Seals Project ACTION, or any
of the contributors to this curriculum. Please let us know if you find any of these links
broken or have questions about a particular resource included.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Federal Civil Rights Act that prohibits
discrimination based on disability
ADA Paratransit: Origin-to-destination demand-response transportation service provided
for eligible individuals who are unable to use fixed route bus and/or rail services for some
or all of their trips.
ADA Paratransit Eligibility: The USDOT ADA regulations require that transit agencies
establish a process to determine who is eligible to use ADA paratransit service for some
or all of their trips based on their functional ability to independently travel on fixed route.
(see Additional Resources)
ADA Compliance Officer: Individual or office that coordinates ADA-related activities at
larger public transit agencies (may have different titles)
Association of Travel Instruction: The Association of Travel Instruction (ATI), founded
in 1998 and incorporated in early 2001, is a national professional association, which exists
to develop the relatively new professions of travel training instructor and travel trainer for
seniors and persons with disabilities, other than those with blindness. The goal of ATI is to
serve the practitioners who teach persons with disabilities and seniors to use public transit
safely and independently. Its members include travel training instructors/travel trainers
who work for transit properties, school districts, and community rehabilitation agencies,
independent living centers, and agencies providing adult day services. Members of the
association also include parents of children with disabilities, orientation and mobility
specialists for persons with blindness, and persons with disabilities who are transportation
advocates. Membership in ATI is open to anyone interested in the accessible
transportation field.
http://www.travelinstruction.org/index.html
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Behavioral Interventions: Often related to Positive Behavioral Supports and
Interventions (PBIS). Improving student academic and behavior outcomes is about
ensuring all students have access to the most effective and accurately implemented
instructional and behavioral practices and interventions possible. SWPBS provides an
operational framework for achieving these outcomes. More importantly, SWPBS is NOT a
curriculum, intervention, or practice, but IS a decision making framework that guides
selection, integration, and implementation of the best evidence-based academic and
behavioral practices for improving important academic and behavior outcomes for all
students
http://www.pbis.org/school/what_is_swpbs.aspx.
College and Career Readiness: College and career readiness refers to the content
knowledge, skills, and habits that students must possess to be successful in
postsecondary education or training that leads to a sustaining career. A student who is
ready for college and career can qualify for and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing
college courses without the need for remedial or developmental coursework.
Prerequisite skills and capabilities for college and career readiness include:
•proficiency in reading a wide range of materials and informational texts,
•fluent writing in several modes, most notably expository and descriptive,
•quantitative literacy through algebra and including geometry, combined with the ability to
understand and interpret data,
•comprehension of the scientific method and organization of knowledge in the sciences,
•awareness of social systems and the study of these systems,
•basic proficiency in a second language,
•basic awareness of other cultures, and
•experiences in and appreciation of creative and expressive arts.
Not every student needs exactly the same proficiency in each of these areas. A student’s
interests influence the precise knowledge and skill profile necessary to be ready for
postsecondary studies in their field of interest.
Some states have defined, or are in the midst of establishing, college and career
readiness benchmarks based on outcomes in postsecondary institutions. These
benchmarks can take the form of assessments or course completion.
http://www.epiconline.org/readiness/definition.dot
Common Core State Standards: The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a stateled effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten
through 12th grade in English language arts and mathematics that states voluntarily
adopt. The standards are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school
are prepared to enter credit bearing entry courses in two or four year college programs or
enter the workforce. The standards are clear and concise to ensure that parents, teachers,
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and students have a clear understanding of the expectations in reading, writing,
speaking and listening, language and mathematics in school.
http://www.corestandards.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions
Early Childhood: For children with disabilities, this typically refers to children with
disabilities ages 3-5 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Through
Part C of IDEA, children in this age group are entitled to services and supports to facilitate
their development.
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cstatute%2CI%2CC%2C
Easter Seals Project Action (ESPA): Founded in 1988, ESPA’s mission is to promote
universal access to transportation for people with disabilities under federal law and
beyond by partnering with transportation providers, the disability community and others
through the provision of training, technical assistance, applied research, outreach and
communication.
www.projectaction.org
Early Childhood Development (ECD): Early childhood is a time of remarkable physical,
cognitive, social and emotional development. Children develop new motor, cognitive,
language and social skills.
Educational Continuum: Refers to the provision of educational services in a seamless
way and in a manner in which professional disciplines work together to provide services
and supports.
English Language Arts (ELA): A focus area of the State common core standards and
includes instruction to help students develop skills in reading, writing, speaking, and
listening - which are the foundation for any creative and purposeful expression in
language.
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy
Federal Indicators: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA)
required that States monitor the performance of its local school districts across areas
called indicators. The primary focus of the State’s monitoring activities must be on— (1)
Improving educational results and functional outcomes for all children with disabilities; and
(2) Ensuring that public agencies meet the program requirements under Part B of the Act,
with a particular emphasis on those requirements that are most closely related to
improving educational results for children with disabilities. (c) As a part of its
responsibilities under paragraph (a) of this section, the State must use quantifiable
indicators and such qualitative indicators as are needed to adequately measure
performance in the priority areas identified in paragraph (d) of this section, and the
indicators established by the Secretary for the State performance plans. (d) The State
must monitor the LEAs located in the State, using quantifiable indicators in each of the
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following priority areas, and using such qualitative indicators as are needed to
adequately measure performance in those areas:
http://nichcy.org/laws/idea/partb/indicators-partb
Federal Indicator 13: One of the performance indicators required by IDEA, often referred
to as the transition indicator. The data collected under Indicator 13 targets youth transition
- this turning point in life and the extent to which youth with disabilities have IEPs that
establish postsecondary goals and include transition services designed to prepare them to
meet those goals.
http://nichcy.org/laws/idea/partb/indicators-partb/indicator13
Federal Indicator 14: One of the performance indicators required by IDEA, often referred
to as the post-school outcomes indicator. Defined as participation in Postsecondary
Settings One Year After Graduation |Percent of youth who had IEPs, are no longer in
secondary school and who have been competitively employed, enrolled in some type of
postsecondary school, or both, within one year of leaving high school.
http://nichcy.org/laws/idea/partb/indicators-partb/indicator14
Federal Transportation Administration (FTA): Agency within U.S. Department of
Transportation that provides financial and technical assistance for grantees funded by the
Transit Funding Act, currently MAP-21 (49 USC Chapter 53).
http://www.fta.dot.gov/
FTA Grant Program 5307: Provides formula-based funds for public transportation
programs in urbanized areas.
http://www.fta.dot.gov/map21.html
FTA Grant Program Sec. 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with
Disabilities: Provides formula-based funds for projects related to transportation for
seniors (aged 65 and older) and people with disabilities.
http://www.fta.dot.gov/map21.html
FTA Grant Program 5311: Provides formula-based funds for public transportation
programs in rural areas.
http://www.fta.dot.gov/map21.html
Human Services: The Human Services profession promotes improved service delivery
systems by addressing the quality of direct services, and seeks to improve accessibility,
accountability, and coordination among professionals and agencies in service delivery.
Human services organizations are critical partners in coordinated transportation systems.
http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/what-is-human-services
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Independent Living: Can be achieved through the attainment of life skills which are
defined as “those skills or tasks that contribute to the successful independent functioning
of an individual in adulthood” (Cronin, 1996) in the following domains: leisure/recreation,
home maintenance and personal care, and community participation.
http://nichcy.org/schoolage/transitionadult/independent#define
Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Special education law. The IDEA
guides how states, school districts, and public agencies provide early intervention, special
education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children
and youth with disabilities.
http://nichcy.org/laws
Individualized Education Program (IEP): When a child receives special education
services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), he or she must have
an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This is a written document listing, among
other things, the special educational services that the child will receive. The IEP is
developed by a team that includes the child’s parents and school staff
IEP Team: IDEA (at §300.321) describes the IEP team as including the following
members:
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the parents of the child;
not less than one regular education teacher of the child (if the child is, or may
be, participating in the regular education environment);
not less than one special education teacher of the child, or where appropriate,
not less than one special education provider of the child;
a representative of the public agency who is qualified to provide, or supervise
the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of
children with disabilities; is knowledgeable about the general education
curriculum; and is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the
public agency;
an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation
results;
other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the
child, including related services personnel as appropriate (invited at the
discretion of the parent or the agency); and
the child with a disability (when appropriate).
http://nichcy.org/schoolage/iep/team
Integrated Self Advocacy (ISA) Scan for Transportation: These materials are part of
the Integrated Self-Advocacy (ISA) Curriculum developed by Dr. Valerie Paradiz, an
internationally recognized researcher and educator. Dr. Paradiz adapted the ISA Sensory
Scan™ and ISA Social Scan™ for ESPA to help students understand and address
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sensory and social challenges. This increased knowledge and awareness enables
students to build a self-advocacy portfolio around accessible transportation that is aligned
with sensory and social needs.
http://www.projectaction.org/Initiatives/YouthTransportation/SelfAdvocacyCurriculum.aspx
K-12: Refers to educational grades kindergarten through high school, typically the 12th
grade in US educational systems.
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO): Federally mandated and funded
transportation policy-making agency in urbanized area with populations greater than
50,000 that includes representatives from local government and governmental
transportation authorities. Federal funding for transportation projects and programs are
managed through the MPO
http://www.ampo.org/
Mobility Management: A strategic approach to service coordination and customer service
designed to enhances the ease of use and accessibility of transportation networks.
Person-directed mobility management offers an approach for coordinating transportation
services and maximizing efficiency in delivering transportation services for people with
disabilities
http://www.projectaction.org/Initiatives/MobilityManagement.aspx
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21): Federal Act that authorizes
funds for Federal-aid to highways, highway safety programs, and transit (Public Law 112141).
http://www.fta.dot.gov/map21.html
National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT): International professional
membership association for individuals interested in pupil transportation.
http://naptonline.org/
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP): A unit of the Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) under the US Department of Education. OSEP
carries out the provisions of IDEA which is the Federal law that ensures students with
disabilities get the services they are entitled to.
http://www.ed.gov/osers/osep
Occupational Therapy (OT): Occupational therapy is considered a related service under
IDEA. Related services help children with disabilities benefit from their special education
by providing extra help and support in needed areas, such as speaking or moving.
Related services can include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
 speech-language pathology and audiology services
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interpreting services
psychological services
physical and occupational therapy
recreation, including therapeutic recreation
early identification and assessment of disabilities in children
counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling
orientation and mobility services
medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes
school health services and school nurse services
social work services in schools
parent counseling and training
http://nichcy.org/schoolage/iep/iepcontents/relatedservices#brief
Paraeducator: Also referred to as paraprofessional, teachers aid, classroom aide. A
special education paraprofessional, sometimes called a teacher’s aide or assistant, can be
a real right-hand man (or woman) to the classroom teacher. Generally speaking, the para
provides support to the teacher and especially to students with disabilities in the
classroom who need modified instruction or assistance, as keeping with their
Individualized Education Program (IEP). Many a student and teacher rely on the skills and
presence of paraprofessionals at their side.
http://nichcy.org/schools-administrators/paras
Paratransit: Generally refers to demand-response transportation that does not operate on
a fixed schedule or fixed route. Paratransit may be offered to people with disabilities,
older adults, human service program participants, and/or the general public. ADA
Paratransit refers to a specific type of paratransit service that is required to be provided by
transportation agencies operating fixed route bus and rail service.
Performance Measurement: Performance measurement is the regular collection and
reporting of data to track work produced and results achieved. Performance measurement
is the selection and use of quantitative measures of capacities, processes, and outcomes
to develop information about critical aspects of activities, including their effect on the
public. In the context of this curriculum, performance measurement refers to the progress
of an organization to implement a transportation education curriculum.
http://www.turningpointprogram.org/Pages/pdfs/perform_manage/pmc_guide.pdf
Performance Indicators:
Performance indicators or measures are either qualitative or quantitative metrics for
assessing the quality or efficiency of the execution of an activity, or demonstrating
progress toward a gal or desired outcome.
http://www.valuenetworksandcollaboration.com/advanced/performanceindicators.html
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http://s3.amazonaws.com/taccuploads/115/e13c8e3871ae11e0835912313d051045/sppapr_brochure%20(1).pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIMS3GHWZEDKKDRDQ&Expires=136
0600536&Signature=MaHTOgDIXiLqsuk%2FyNbmWDo6dtg%3D
Physical Therapy (PT): PT is a related services. See Occupational therapy definition.
Postsecondary Education: An advanced level of academic instruction following high
school, often referred to as college or university. This type of program can be focused on
academic (Associates, Bachelor's or Master's degrees), career-oriented (professional
certification or licensing), and/or continuing professional (Master's) purposes
Post-Secondary Goals: Embedded in the Federal definition (Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act) of Transition services.--The term `transition services' means a coordinated
set of activities for a child with a disability that-(A) is designed to be within a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the
academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child's
movement from school to post- school activities, including post-secondary education,
vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment),
continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community
participation;
(B) is based on the individual child's needs, taking into account the child's strengths,
preferences, and interests; and
(C) includes instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of
employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, when appropriate,
acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cstatute%2CI%2CA%2C602%2C34%2C
Public Transportation: Public transportation includes buses, subways, light rail,
commuter rail, monorail, passenger ferry boats, trolleys, inclined railways, and people
movers. In the Federal law that regulates surface transportation (MAP-21), congress
amended the definition of “public transportation” to specify that public transportation is
regular, continuing, shared-ride, surface transportation service that is “open to the general
public or open to a segment of the general public defined by age, disability, or low
income.” Public transportation does not include Amtrak service, intercity bus service,
charter bus service, school bus service, sightseeing service, courtesy shuttle service for
patrons of one or more specific establishments; or intra-terminal or intra-facility shuttle
services.
http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/2012-10-10_MAP-21_FINAL.pdf
Pupil Transporters: see National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT).
Ready by 21 Insulated Pipeline: Graphic and pipeline metaphor developed by the
national reform organization, Ready by 21, to demonstrate the supports and insulation that
students need to facilitate their movement through the educational system, from early
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childhood to their movement into the workforce. Transportation is indicated as a
needed service to support and insulate this pipeline.
http://forumfyi.org/files/RB21_Credentialed-by-26_Brief-1[1].pdf
SAFETEA-LU: Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy
for Users. Federal Act that authorized funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety
programs, and transit from FY 2004-FY 2012 – (Public Law 102-240). In 2012, this
legislation was reauthorized as MAP-21, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century.
http://www.fta.dot.gov/map21.html
Transition Services: Defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
(§300.43) (a) Transition services means a coordinated set of activities for a child with a
disability that— (1) Is designed to be within a results-oriented process, that is focused on
improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to
facilitate the child’s movement from school to post-school activities, including
postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including
supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent
living, or community participation; (2) Is based on the individual child’s needs, taking into
account the child’s strengths, preferences, and interests; and includes
(i) Instruction;
(ii) Related services;
(iii) Community experiences;
(iv) The development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives; and
(v) If appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and provision of a functional vocational
evaluation.
(b) Transition services for children with disabilities may be special education, if provided
as specially designed instruction, or a related service, if required to assist a child with a
disability to benefit from special education.
http://nichcy.org/schoolage/transitionadult#definition
Transportation Education: Transportation education creates a culture, accompanied by
a coordinated set of practices, to connect students, families, educators, pupil transporters,
and public transportation professionals to ensure students have knowledge, access, and
choice regarding a continuum of accessible transportation options across grade levels,
and especially as they transition from school to postsecondary education, employment,
and independent living.
Travel Familiarization: Individual or group activity to facilitate use of transportation
systems with a Travel Trainer accompanying experienced traveler(s) on a new mode of
transportation or route to point out/explain features of access and usability.
http://www.travelinstruction.org/forms/ATIAugust2011DefinitionOfTravelTraining.pdf
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Travel Instruction: The array, continuum, or family of services offered to
individuals with disabilities, seniors, and others who need assistance to increase their
mobility and travel on public transportation independently.
Association on Travel Instruction (ATI) - http://www.travelinstruction.org/index.html
Travel Orientation: Individual or small group trip activity to facilitate use of transportation
systems with a travel trainer accompanying experienced traveler(s) on a new mode of
transportation or route to point out/explain features of access and usability.
www.travelinstruction.org
Travel training: Providing instruction, as appropriate, to children with significant cognitive
disabilities, and any other children with disabilities who require this instruction, to enable
them to-- (i) Develop an awareness of the environment in which they live; and (ii) Learn
the skills necessary to move effectively and safely from place to place within that
environment (e.g., in school, in the home, at work, and in the community).
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cregs%2C300%2CA%2C300%252E39%2C
Travel Training Assessment: Comprehensive process to review student-data, from
multiple sources, to identify student knowledge and skills around mobility and travel.
Sources may include File Review, Collateral Contact Notes (from other education
professionals), Student Observation, Face to Face, and Task Analysis. Data informs the
education team about the kinds of services that students need in travel instruction.
Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning (UDL): UDL is a framework for
designing educational environments that help all students gain knowledge, skills, and
enthusiasm for learning. The concept of UDL was inspired by the universal design
movement in product development and architecture, which calls for the design of
structures that anticipate the needs of individuals with disabilities and accommodate these
needs from the outset (Orkwis & McLane, 1998; Rose & Meyer, 2002). Elements of
universally designed buildings might include levered door handles, widened bathroom
stalls that can accommodate wheelchairs or other assistive devices, and tables and
countertops at a variety of heights. The tenets of universal design also can be applied to
teaching and assessing, and in these contexts, a universally designed curriculum includes
goals, methods, materials, and assessments, and supports all learners by simultaneously
reducing barriers to the curriculum and providing rich support for learning (Rose & Meyer,
2002).
http://www.osepideasthatwork.org/UDL/intro.asp
Easter Seals Project ACTION is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S.
Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, and is administered by
Easter Seals, Inc. This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of ESPA in the
interest of information exchange. Neither Easter Seals nor the U.S. DOT, FTA assumes
liability for its contents or use thereof.