www.projectaction.org

Assessing Path of Travel for People with Disabilities Other Than and in Addition to BlindnessDonna Smith

Director of Training

Easter Seals Project ACTION

Learner Objectives

• Gain experience in assessing the path of travel for

disabilities other than blindness

• Hands-on experience using 3 tools for making

assessments

• Understand sensory and social considerations for

people with autism

Path of Travel

• The route a person must take:• From the origin of the trip to the vehicle• On the vehicle• From the vehicle to the destination• This trip in reverse

What is an Accessible Path of Travel?

• On an individual level

• The path which meets the mobility requirements for

any given person

• May or may not meet ADA specifications

• May or may not be accessible for others

Path of Travel Assessment – Route and Scout

• Thorough review of the trip

• Identifies obstructions and potential solutions

• Identifies accessible features to teach

• Helps to determine complexity of trip and new skills to

be learned

• Always done in advance of working with the individual

Regulatory Language: 49 CFR Part 37: Transportation Services for Individuals with Disabilities (ADA)

• § 37.43: An accessible path of travel may include walks and

sidewalks, curb ramps and other interior or exterior

pedestrian ramps, clear floor paths through corridors, waiting

areas, concourses, and other improved areas, parking

access aisles, elevators and lifts, bridges, tunnels, or other

passageways between platforms, or a combination of these

and other elements.

3-9

In Plain Terms

• Sidewalks or pathways

• Curbs and intersections

• Platforms, lighting and detectible warning strips

• Stairs, elevators or escalators

• Tunnels or raised pedestrian walkways

Public Conveyor Systems:Special Considerations for Travel Trainers

Vehicle Accessibility

• Includes all aspects of

boarding, riding and

alighting from the vehicle

• Assistance from the

operator is also a factor

• Other passengers may

play a role

Regulatory Language

• Appendix D to Part 37 Section 37.167: On fixed route

systems, the entity must announce stops. The

announcement can be made personally by the vehicle

operator or can be made by a recording system.

• Appendix D to Part 37 Section 206.3: Fare collection areas

shall be placed to minimize the distance which wheelchair

users and other persons who cannot negotiate steps may

have to travel.

Vehicle Features• External vehicle signs• Bike racks • Steps, lifts, ramps, kneeling system• Fare box• Internal vehicle signs• Alternative format signs

Vehicle Features (cont’d)• Stop request signals• Priority seating area• Mobility aid securement system• Public Announcement (PA) system• Level boarding, near level boarding, or lifts

Sensory Considerations

• Lights/colors – visibility and distraction

• Sound – too much or too little

• Smell – too much or too little/distraction

• Touch/texture – useful cues or need to avoid

Social Considerations

• Presence of other riders and transit personnel

• Attitudes of other riders and transit personnel

• Potential for danger or interference

• Availability of safe assistance

Assessment Tools

• Checklist for Assessing the Accessibility of

Transportation and Mobility

• ISA Sensory Scan for Public Transportation

• ISA Social Scan for Public Transportation

Assessment Process

• Plan the trip

• Select the tool(s)

• Take the trip and make the assessment

• Determine if the trip is:– Accessible and teachable– Inaccessible or too complex

• Teach the trip or plan a new one

Discussion

• How is this similar to the O&M process?

• How does it differ so far?

• What are we missing?

Sensory and Social Scans

• Developed by Valerie Paradiz, Ph.D., Director of

Autistic Global Initiative

• Taken from the Easter Seals Inclusive Learning

Project

• Project ACTION Student and Schools Initiative is

lead by Judy Shanley, Ph.D.

3 Steps of Self-Advocacy

• What is Self-Advocacy?

• The three steps:

1. Self-Awareness

2. Advocacy Plan

3. Implementation

www.projectaction.org

Here’s an Example

Step 1: What Do I Need?

• Jon has autism

• Sensory difficulties

• Tactile sensitivity

• “I like people, but being touched feels like a bad sunburn.”

• Jon wants to take the subway to work.

• The subway makes Jon feel anxious.

Step 2: How Do I Get What I Need?

• Jon wants to feel less anxious.

• He makes a script that he can

use when the subway is

crowded.

• Jon practices his script with a

friend.

• “Would you mind letting me take

that seat? If I get bumped, I feel

lots of pain. It is a medical

problem. Thank you.”

Step 2: What is Disclosure?

• Jon does not feel he needs to share that he has

autism in order to make a good advocacy plan.

• Jon is going to make a “partial disclosure” by saying

he has a medical condition.

• A partial disclosure helps others understand that your

needs are legitimate, but you don’t have to “tell all.”

Jon’s Disclosure Choices

Type of Disclosure

1. No disclosure

2. Full disclosure

3. Partial disclosure

Possible Outcome

1. “Other passengers will think I’m weird if I ask them to move without some kind of explanation.”

2. “If I say I have autism, another passenger might misunderstand my needs, since many people don’t know that people with autism has sensory challenges.”

3. “If I explain my sensory sensitivity as a medical condition, other passengers are more likely to understand.”

Step 3: Implementation

• Jon practiced his script.• Jon took the subway to

work.• He used the script on

the busy subway and was able to get the right kind of seat to keep himself from touching or bumping into others.

Disclosure and the ADA

• We all have the right to access public transportation.

• The American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects this right for people with disabilities.

• Some disabilities are easy to recognize.

• Some disabilities are not easy to recognize, like Jon’s sensory problem.

• If you disclose to a transportation worker that you have a disability, they must abide by ADA rules and allow you access and certain supports.

• Disclosure can be a form of self-advocacy.

ISA Sensory Scan™

Social Aspects of Transportation

• Navigating transit locations (transit stops, paying fares)

• Interactions with transit workers

• Interactions with other passengers

• Verbal communication

• Non-verbal communication

• Social norms and expectations

• Safety

ISA Social Scan™

Exercise: Sensory Systems Pre-Teaching Tool

• Fill in the last column on the Sensory Systems Pre-

Teaching Tool

• Focus on sensory input here in the classroom

• Turn to your neighbor and discuss your input

• You will have 5 minutes to complete this exercise

Checklist for Assessing the Accessibility of Transportation and Mobility

• Introduction/how to use the tool

• Going to the stop/station

• At the stop/station

• On the vehicle

• Recommendation for improving accessibility

Going to the Stop/Station

• Sidewalks

• Signage

• Curb ramps and detectible warning strips

• Signalization

At the Stop/Station

• Boarding area

• Seating

• Signage and other information

• Environment safe/clean

• Crowding and possible distractions

On the Vehicle

• Signage and announcements

• Crowding and distractions

• Lifts, ramps and securement equipment

• Priority seating

• Farebox

• Operator performance and assistance

Additional Use of Checklist

• Make recommendations to public works about:– Sidewalks– Signalization– Cleanliness and safety

• Make recommendations to transit about:– Usability of bus stops– Operator performance– Equipment failure

Checklist Not Intended to:

• Make full ADA assessment of stops/stations

• Evaluate intersections

• Assess for ADA compliance at any level

Discussion

• What is on this list that you never considered before?

• What would you add to this list?

Exercise – Prepare to Take a Trip!

• Take with you:– Checklist for Assessing the Accessibility of

Transportation Mobility– ISA Sensory Scan for Public Transportation– ISA Social Scan for Public Transportation– Pen/Pencil– Transit pass/fare

Instructions

• Divide into small groups

• Check to be sure you have everything you will need

• Follow the directions the trainer has provided for

taking a short trip on public transit

• Use all 3 tools to evaluate the accessibility of your trip

• Return to the classroom in 1 hour

Debrief

• What accessible features did you find?

• What was not so accessible?

• Name some of the sensory inputs you noticed.

• What social conditions might be pertinent to certain

individuals?

Summary Thoughts

• Your skill set as O&M instructors is well-suited to

learning to train people with additional or different

disabilities

• Given the wide variation of physical, intellectual and

sensory disabilities people who are blind experience,

O&M instructors already do a lot of what we reviewed

today.

Training Resources

• Introduction to Travel Training Workshop

• Fundamentals of Travel Training Administration

• www.projectaction.org/training/TravelTraining.aspx

Discussion Forums

• Global Travel Training Community

• ESPA-NCST.communityzero.com/GTTC

• Accessible Transportation for Students

• ESPA-NCST.communityzero.com/ATS

Products

• Competencies for the Practice of Travel Instruction

and Travel Training

• Travel for Students Success: The Route to Achieving

Post-Secondary Student Outcomes

• You Can Ride

• www.projectaction.org

• 800-659-6428

Other Resources

• Association of Travel Instruction

• www.travelinstruction.org

Thank You

• Donna Smith

• Director of Training

• Easter Seals Project ACTION

• dsmith@easterseals.com

• 800-659-6428