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Transportation: keeping it simple

by Patricia

Download the GET Going! guideWhen I read Lucinda Shannon’s post about access to public transportation last week, it reminded me of something that happened when I first started teaching.

My first job as a teacher was in Berkeley, California. I worked with transition age youth with autism, and Berkeley was rich with opportunities for public transport and ready access to busses and subways. Still, there were many challenges.

My student David was a person who needed an auditory cue to know when the bus was at his stop. He learned to sit or stand right at the front of the bus and ask the bus driver to announce his stop. A simple solution, maybe, but one you might not come up with when in the midst of commuter chaos. That’s one reason I like this new GET Going! guide that Lucinda talked about in her post — it’s full of practical tips and uncomplicated suggestions.

Let’s face it. Transportation is pivotal for a high quality life. Employment, a rich social life and access to the community is reliant on transportation. But too often the lack of access to transportation prevents individuals living with disabilities from taking advantage of it.

Easter Seals has been championing accessible transportation with Easter Seals Project Action since 1988. Project ACTION promotes universal access to transportation for people with disabilities. One of the wonderful services provided by Project ACTION is distribution of materials related to accessible transportation, and the new GET Going! pocket Guide is one of these — it’s a revolutionary travel trouble-shooting tool to support individuals living with disabilities as they travel independently on public transportation.

And get this: the Get Going! guide is available for free! Check out the GET Going! guide and see if it might support you or someone you know in making transportation more accessible. Through transportation, you can get where you want to go and do what you want to do!


 

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  1. Ben Trockman Says:

    January 25th, 2013 at 5:13 pm

    Thanks Patricia,

    It is definitely something I am going to try and accomplish in my lifetime. No one should be denied the ability to be able to travel. I’m in the process of working with some folks, trying to get this proposal to the right people. We’ll see what happens, only the future shall tell.