Healthy Generations Area Agency on Aging – Transition to Transit Travel Training Program
Health Generations Area Agency on Aging’s Transition to Transit Travel Training Program has been in operation for 10 years and has served mainly the aging population but also refugees, migrants, college students and others who are new to the area or living in underserved communities. Healthy Generations’ Transition to Transit is a consumer-focused travel training that introduces high school students with disabilities to the region’s public transit system. Students learn how to navigate the public transit system safely and efficiently, while acquiring life skills and learning personal safety strategies. The goal of Transition to Transit is to facilitate transportation equity and independent travel for students with disabilities by providing the skills needed to navigate the transit system safely and comfortably. This ultimately creates a new generation of transit users who will have access to employment, medical support, goods and services and other community resources.
What makes this innovative?
Healthy Generations’ Certified Travel Training Instructor (CTTI) partners with local high school job coaches to educate transitional high school students with disabilities about transit apps and wayfinding technology; the transit system, routes and stops; and pedestrian and personal safety. Student participants receive origin-to-destination training by riding transit with job coaches and the CTTI. A local hotel and restaurant act as the destination for students where they are hosted for lunch, learn about restaurant etiquette and learn to calculate gratuities. Participants are empowered to be independent, confident users of the transit system and encouraged to become transit advocates and ambassadors. The program is funded by FTA Section 5310 and meets a need identified in the state’s Coordinated Human Services Mobility Plan to partner with educational facilities for a transportation and mobility program for students with disabilities.
Lessons Learned and Replication Advice:
› Devote staff time to outreach, development and training.
› Be flexible and person-centered based on the individual training needs of program participants. The support and coordination provided by high school job coaches working with the students has been essential to program success.
› Invest in staff training to ensure staff will have the skills needed to implement a Transition to Transit program.
› Scale costs associated with staff time, marketing and promotional items relative to the size of the service area and school system.