Building a Continuum of
Transportation Education
ATI National Conference
August 2013
•
Judy L. Shanley, Ph.D., Director, Administration for Community Living, Mobility
Management, & Student Engagement Projects, Easter Seals Transportation Group,
Washington, DC
•
Michael J. VanDekreke, Manager Accessibility, RTA Chicago
•
Nathan Neely, Travel Instructor, Chicago, IL
WWW.PROJECTACTION.ORG
Today’s Agenda
•
•
•
•
Overview of Easter Seals Project ACTION - Judy
Rationale for this Work - Michael
Knocking on the Door of School Districts - Judy
Strategies to Build a Continuum of Transportation Education &
Travel Instruction - Judy
• Student-Family Summits – Nate
• Activities and Discussion
Easter Seals Project ACTION (ESPA)
• Mission: promote universal access to transportation for people
with disabilities…
• Supports Transportation and the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA)
• Begun by Congress twenty three years ago to build bridges of
understanding between the Transportation and Disability
Community
• Cooperative Agreement funded by the Federal Transit
Administration and Administered by Easter Seals
• Aligned with Easter Seals work to improve the lives of children,
youth, and adults with disabilities
Four Functional Areas to Help Local
Organizations Build Accessible
Transportation Capacity
• Training Events – travel training, webinars, online training
• Technical Assistance – 800#, email, in-person coalition building events
• Applied Research – fund catalyst and gap filling programs to stimulate
academic inquiry and leverage new product development
• Outreach – build awareness & create partnerships
A Poll
What is your experience with
Project ACTION?
1. I participate in ESPA events, trainings, and
use products - Project ACTION is a must have
resource!
2. I have heard of Project ACTION – and
that’s about it
3. I have never used resources - I am so
excited to learn more about Project ACTION
and can’t wait to find out about events,
trainings, and products!
A Message from a Transportation
Perspective
Michael VanDekreke, Manager Accessibility, Regional Transportation
Authority, Chicago
An Introduction to this Work
• How did this work come about?
• What was the process?
• Why does it matter?
• Lessons learned for others to replicate
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.
Voices from Youth
I feel like I am independent. I don’t
need to depend on my mom and dad to
take me places. Now I can ride
the bus to get to my job and to the movies
with my friends
Spontaneous Choice
Travel Instructors Can Knock on School
Doors and Leverage
• Existing school reforms and programs
– Work around college & career readiness
– Focus on common core state standards
– Focus on Employment First – Inclusive post-school outcomes
• Factors that get school districts in trouble
–
–
–
–
High drop out rates
Poor transition plans and services
Poor post-school outcomes
Legal requirements of IDEA
Align Transportation Education With….
College and Career Readiness
Ready by 21 Insulated Pipeline
Transportation, Health, Mental Health, Housing, Financial
ECD & Child After-School Civic, Social, Work Social & Strategic Placement
Care Providers
Programs
Opportunities
Supports & Coaching
Families
Peers
Community Members
http://www.readyby21.org/
Align Transportation Education With…
Implementation of the Common Core Standards
Transportation Content
can be Integrated Across the IEP
Assessments
Present Levels
Goals and Benchmarks
Transition Plans
Transportation Services
IEP Goals and Benchmarks
Example (Literacy and Transportation Content)
•
Given picture representations of 25 community signs or symbols with which
he is unfamiliar at the start of the IEP year, and the verbal prompt “What (sign
or symbol) is this and what does it mean?”, Manuel will independently
verbally state the name and meaning of each one in 5 of 5 trials to
demonstrate mastery.
– Benchmarks can fade level of prompting
– Benchmarks can increase number of correct responses
– Benchmarks can increase number of signs/symbols
Think Forward
•
To increase his skills with a future goal, the context might be recognizing
those same signs/symbols when out in the community as part of communitybased instruction.
Examples of Post-Secondary Outcomes
• After graduating from high school, Andrew will independently
travel to and from work using public transportation.
• After completing high school and moving to college, Mikela will
utilize campus transit options to attend her weekly classes.
• After completing high school and while continuing to live with his
family, Devon will, with assistance, use pedestrian skills to walk
to business in his community for shopping opportunities.
A Poll
Have you had experience in
working with schools on programs
that integrate transportation
content and other school
programs?
A Curriculum to Build the Knowledge of
Educators, Human Services, Families, and
Transit regarding Transportation Education
and Travel Instruction
http://www.projectaction.org/Initiatives/YouthTransportation/Tran
sportationEducationCurriculum.aspx
WWW.PROJECTACTION.ORG
Easter Seals Transportation Group
Building an Accessible Transportation Continuum for Students with
Disabilities to Support Transition
Students
& Families
Educators
Vocational
Rehabilitation
Workforce
Development
Safe Routes to
Schools
Pupil Transportation
K12
Campus
Transportation
Higher Education
Public Transportation
Interconnected Systems and People
www.cec.sped.org
http://www.dcdt.org/
http://www.rehabnetwork.org
http://www.saferoutesinfo
.org/
http://www.napt.org/
www.nasdpts.org
http://tsdconference.com/
www.ahead.org
http://www.apta.com/
www.ctaa.org
J. Shanley, Easter Seals, 2013
What you will learn
What
• What is transportation education?
Why
• Why is transportation education important?
How
• How does transportation education look in a school system?
• How do I engage people in the conversation on transportation education?
• How do I provide Travel Instruction?
Pedagogy
• Can I align transportation education to Common Core State Standards?
• Can I embed transportation education in learning activities?
• Can transportation education be included in student IEP?
Data
• How to I track data on implementation?
• How does this align to in-school and post-school outcomes?
• How does this align to state and federal requirements?
Integrated Systems
• Leveraging mobility management systems
Resources
• Other resources
• Websites
• Glossary
Module
1
Modules
2, 3, 4
Modules
5, 6
Module
7
Module
8
Module
9
Activity
• How Can You Contribute?
Building a
Continuum of
Transportation
Education
Intense
Services
- Travel Training
- Paratransit eligibility
- OT/PT/Behavioral
Interventions
•
•
•
•
Moving up the Tiers
Fewer numbers of
students
More defined services
Greater time & resource
commitment
Specialized training and
competence of providers
Focused Transportation
Assessments & Education
- Travel Training Assessments
- OT/PT Behavioral assessment
- Travel Instruction - Familiarization
District-Wide Transportation Education
- Provide
professional development to educators around
accessible transportation supports
- Engage families & students in transportation ed in early grades
- Integrate transportation content across grade levels and curriculum
(ELA, Math, geography, etc.)
- Rely on transit for community-based experiences
- Invite transit into schools and programs
- Establish linkages across educators, pupil transportation and public transportation;
Provide travel instruction and orientation
What Are you Doing at Each Tier?
What Can you be Doing at Each Tier?
Tier
Current Activities
Future
Activities
What do you need to make it
happen?
Can you integrate transportation content in any current
reforms?
Some Ideas….Strategies to Integrate Accessible
Transportation and Transition Services
•
Engage families, students, and colleagues – hold a transportation
summit
– Invite students who use transit, businesses, Voc Rehab
•
Conduct resource mapping of transportation resources & travel training
services – shared services (church, school, business)
•
Connect with transit organizations and mobility management systems
– Federal Untied We Ride – www.unitedweride.gov
•
Contribute to IEP goals around accessible transportation
•
Invite transit professionals into events
Strategies to Integrate Accessible
Transportation and Transition Services
•
Use & visit transit – field trips
•
•
Embed transportation content into curriculum and instruction
Look for grant opportunities to focus on accessible transportation
•
Connect with local teacher education and rehabilitation preparation
programs
•
Integrate transportation content into professional development
•
Understand travel instruction and its components
•
Consider offering travel instruction services
– Partner with human services organizations, transit agencies, State
agencies
Yellow School Buses as the First Step
•
Relationships with Pupil Transportation (National Association for Pupil
Transportation www.napt.org and National Association of State
Directors of Pupil Transportation Services http://www.nasdpts.org
– Simulate public buses
• Establish fare cards
• Use public transit signage
• Invite public transit drivers on school grounds
• Develop schedules and route maps
• Provide students/clients computer route maps
• Mimic driver alert systems on buses
• Replicate social variance on bus
Engaging Students, Families,
Transportation, and Other Key Stakeholders
Module 3
WWW.PROJECTACTION.ORG
Interconnected Systems and People
• Students and their families drive the process
• Educators and transition coordinators include content in teaching and
develop IEP goals around transportation skills. Working with related
services professionals such as occupational and physical therapists,
educators inform transportation planning in areas such as:
– Student learning styles and instructional methods
– Behavioral and social performance
– How transportation content can be aligned with academic content
and classroom instruction
Interconnected Systems and People
• Pupil transportation and college campus professionals can offer
information about school and college based transportation
services.
– Pupil transportation professionals participate in IEP meetings
and share information about student mobility, travel and
transportation options
• Public transportation can support school content related to the
use of public transportation and the services provided in
particular areas.
STRATEGIES FOR
ENGAGING STUDENTS
Engaging Students
• Students are critical informants to transportation education
– Integrating transportation content into academic standards and
curriculum (Module 5) will help students become more involved in
transportation content and discussions about transportation options as
they move across grades
– Providing students with opportunities to express their preferences and
interests in transportation options will better ensure that choices are
aligned with student needs
– Using tools, such as the social and sensory scans, can help engage
students
– Assisting students in developing a self-advocacy plan teaches selfdetermination
Social and Sensory Scans for Students
• One way for students to become involved is to help them
understand their own preferences and styles
• Students have sensory and social preferences which are factors
that may affect their choice to participate in a particular activity
• These preferences can influence their choices in selecting
particular modes of transportation
• Students can build transportation plans that are aligned with
these preferences
Self-Advocacy to Enhance Transportation Choice:
Tools to Assist Students in Identifying
Transportation Options Based on Preferences
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 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.
Social and Sensory Preferences Webinar
Transportation and Self-Advocacy Education to Support
Student Transition to Post-school Settings
http://www.projectaction.org/Initiatives/YouthTransportation/SelfAdvoca
cyCurriculum.aspx
• This ESPA webinar, conducted with the support of nationally
recognized researcher Dr. Valerie Paradiz, introduces both
educators and students to basic self-advocacy and ways to develop
advocacy plans related to using transportation.
ESPA tools you can implement in your
classroom
• ISA Sensory Scan™ for Transportation
– This is an activity that can be done in or out of class (or both).
Students can work in pairs or solo (then share with the group). The
worksheet prompts you to assess your individual sensory
experiences in the environment you are scanning. For students
who need support, a fellow student can assist with the scan, or a
teacher or other classroom staff can fill out the worksheet by
student self-report or by staff observation. The scan can be
completed first in the classroom setting for practice, then again later
in a transit setting. Link to ESPA resources.
ESPA tools you can implement in your
classroom (cont.)
• My Self-Advocacy Experience
– This is an in-class activity that educators and students can do to identify the
three steps of self-advocacy by reflecting on an experience from their own
lives Link to ESPA resources
• My Sensory Experience
– This is an in-class activity for educators and students to support the
exploration of the different sensory systems and what they do. The activity
also provides opportunity to explore one’s own sensory experiences Link to
ESPA resources
STRATEGIES FOR
ENGAGING FAMILIES
Engaging Families
• Families may be fearful or hesitant to
let their children explore a continuum of
transportation options
– Providing forums for families to express their
concerns is important
– Facilitating connections across families
whose children have successfully received a
continuum of services, with those families
who may be fearful, can demonstrate the
positive outcomes related to transportation
education
– Organizing events such as a summit is one
way to engage families
Scroll here to click forward arrow
Developing Student-Family Summits to Engage
Link to
Families
•
Determine targeted audience
•
Determine the number of attendees
•
Secure a location
•
Set a date/time
•
Create an agenda
•
Market the event by flyers, phone calls, emails, and mail
•
Reach out to potential panelists such as:
– Students and their families of students who have learned to use
public transit, employers, educators, vocational rehabilitation
counselors.
Summit
Planning
Template
Link to
Summit
Agenda
Developing Student – Family Summits
• Prep panelists on questions before the summit
• Meet with facilitators and review breakout session
questions
• Do a walk through at location prior to the summit
Link to Sample
Facilitator Notes
Link to Sample
Summit Flyer
Activity
• In small groups, use the Summit Planning Template
to plan for a student-family summit
• Discussion Questions
– What are critical elements in your planning?
– What challenges could you potentially have?
– What are the outcomes of the summit?
STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGING
PUPIL TRANSPORTATION
PROFESSIONALS
Learn how Pete Meslin, Director of
Transportation, Newport-Mesa Unified
School District, CA Works with
Educators
Click here for a transcript
Meslin Video
A Poll
Do you collaborate with school
pupil transportation professionals?
- Describe the activities.
- What do you think contributes to
the success of these
relationships?
Engaging Pupil Transportation Professionals
The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT)
www.napt.org is the school transportation industry’s largest and
most diverse membership organization, providing cutting-edge
education and timely information services for its members
throughout the world. NAPT’s vision is to be first and foremost in
leading, supporting and developing world-class professionals who
provide safe and efficient pupil transportation for our children. The
NAPT mission is CLEAR: Communication; Leadership; Education;
Advocacy; Resources.
Review the ESPA Presentation conducted with pupil transportation
professionals to learn about ways to collaborate
STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGING
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
PROFESSIONALS
Engaging Your Local Transit Agency
• Most public transportation agencies have an ADA Compliance
Officer that would be a good initial contact
• Transit agencies are invested in increasing fixed route use while
reducing paratransit ridership costs
– Highlight your efforts in increasing the use of the fixed route system
rather than paratransit
• Ask your transit system how you can partner with their Travel
Training Program if they offer a program
• Ask transit professionals about local transit policies and fare
programs for people with disabilities
Person-Directed Mobility Management
Mobility management works at the community level by ensuring that
transportation is accessible and the pathways to transportation are
accessible. At the community level, mobility managers connect with
transportation service providers and communities on developing
coordinated transportation plans and policies that promote accessible
transportation and accessible pathways for people of all abilities
http://www.projectaction.org/Initiatives/MobilityManagement.aspx
A Poll
Are you Involved in Coordinated
Transportation Systems or
Transportation Advisory / Planning
Committees?
Guided by Several Projects
• Easter Seals
– Mobility Management Independent Living
Coaches Program
• National Center for Mobility Management
– Partnership across Easter Seals, Community
Transportation Association of American, and the
American Public Transportation Association
• Strengthening Inclusiveness Transportation
Partnerships
We Learned about Specific Strategies…
• Participate in advisory groups
• Encourage cultures that welcome a diverse range of perspectives through
accessible meeting venues, by varying meeting times, and using materials in
multiple formats.
• Provide input regarding the accessibility of varying media and technology
platforms.
• Collaborate with transit and human service organizations to:
 write products;
 review materials;
 conduct presentations;
 co-host forums and events;
 write grants and seek funding together; and
 develop policy and practice statements.
We Also Learned…
• Consider career pathways for persons with disabilities and older
adults:
– Connect with guidance counselors, school transition
professionals, employment centers, Dept. of Labor one-stop
centers.
– Serve as a venue for internships, placements.
• Implement job shadowing, job sharing, and mentorship programs.
• Share equipment and technology.
• Attend professional development forums together – including online
forums.
www.transitplanning4all.org
Opportunities for
Participation!
• Learn about the coordinated transportation
infrastructures in your community
• Encourage the development of mobility managers
• Create venues for education, human services, and
transit to work together
• Identify opportunities for engagement in decisionmaking about transportation systems.
Thoughts, Ideas, Questions?
Considerations for Hiring a Travel Trainer
•
Has the individual completed any structured course or training offered by a recognized
vendor?
•
Has the individual had experience in all phases of travel instruction?
•
Does the individual have school-based travel instruction experience?
•
If the individual has completed training, what was the performance of the individual in the
course? Is this performance review documented?
•
Does the individual have practical experience as a travel trainer? In what settings and with
what populations?
•
Has the individual worked with educators and contributed to transition planning?
•
Is the individual experienced with the transit systems they will be instructing students to
use?
•
Does the individual belong to any professional associations, such as ATI, where they can
receive ongoing professional development?
Promoting Travel Training and Transportation
Education – Be Engaged!
•
Join the accessible transportation for students (ATS) online
community-http://www.espa-ncst.communityzero.com/ats
•
Sign up to receive all of ESPA notifications www.projectaction.org
•
Use Project ACTION tools and materials
http://www.projectaction.org/Initiatives/YouthTransportation.aspx
•
Attend online Webinars – forming partnerships, advocacy, etc.
•
Collaborate across disciplines
– Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Division on Career
Development & Transition, National Association for Pupil
Transportation (NAPT) , National Association of State Directors of
Pupil Transportation Services
Resources
•
ESPA General resources to support accessible transportation
– www.projectaction.org
•
ES Resources Related to Supports for Student Transition
– http://www.projectaction.org/Initiatives/YouthTransportation.aspx
•
ESPA Mobility Management Resources and Online Community
– http://www.projectaction.org/ResourcesPublications/MobilityManagement.as
px
•
Partnership for Mobility Management
– http://web1.ctaa.org/webmodules/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?a=1790&z=95
•
Strengthening Inclusive Partnerships
– www.transitplanning4 all.org
Contact Information
•
•
•
Judy Shanley
– jshanley@easterseals.com
– 800-659-6428
– 202-403-8354
Michael VanDekreke
– vandekrekem@RTACHICAGO.ORG
Nathan Neely
– nlneely39@gmail.com
We would love your feedback regarding how you
use the information shared today – please send
me your thoughts and suggestions