Travel Training Curriculum for People with Disabilities

The Travel Training curriculum will provide individuals with the necessary transportation skills to be more independent and more fully participate in community life.

Travel Training Curriculum for People with Disabilities:

Grantee: Rural Health Network of SCNY, Inc.

Project Summary:

Getthere, the Mobility Management Program of Rural Health Network of SCNY, Inc. (RHN), is seeking funding to develop a curriculum that will provide a comprehensive travel training program designed to meet the unique needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This will be an expansion of the already successful Getthere Travel Training program and trip planner. The curriculum will provide individuals with the necessary transportation skills to be more independent and more fully participate in community life. Getthere will leverage its existing partnerships with regional mobility managers, Arcs, independent living centers, and national mobility management organizations to develop, implement, and evaluate the travel training curriculum.

The training curriculum will include individual assessment, geographic inventory and matching available resources. The assessment will be the precursor to developing an individualized transportation strategy (ITS) that will complement an individual’s currently approved individual service plan (ISP). These two plans will complement and support each other to maximize the effectiveness of the travel training and allow for greater independence for an individual.

Key Activities:

  • Wide geographic applicability to account for both rural and urban areas, including the variability of transportation available across the region.
  • Consideration of cultural and linguistic diversity.
  • Emphasis on developing transportation abilities across modes; recognition of family and caregivers as valuable resources in supporting the individual; use of innovative transportation technology including trip planner and a smartphone app.
  • Consultation with issue experts and recognized best practices.
  • Both classroom instruction and field-based instruction to assess skill mastery.

Total Funding: $600,000

Project Length: 2 years

Project Start: July 1, 2020

Geographic Reach: Statewide

Current Status: Complete