ANALYSIS


Life Skills Education Can Begin on the School Bus


By Ted Finalyson-Schueler While school transportation and public transportation seem


to exist in separate universes, those who train adults with sig- nificant disabilities to use public buses fail to realize that this education can and should begin during the 17-plus years these individuals ride a school bus as children. Most children with significant disabilities attend school from


about age 4 to 21 and may ride the school bus some 6,000 times in that period. Tese bus trips can potentially serve as a life skills classroom, but the divide between school bus and transit opera- tors is so wide that this conversation has never taken place. Tis is odd considering that the Individuals with Disabilities Educa- tion Act (IDEA) requires that, when appropriate, children receive “Travel Training:” “(I)nstruction…to children with significant cognitive dis-


abilities…to enable them to develop an awareness of the environment in which they live and learn the skills necessary to move effectively from place to place within that environment.” 34 C.F.R. 300.26(b)(4) An entire field of travel training exists, complete with asso-


ciations, certifications and government funding, much of which goes to an organization called Easter Seals Project Action (ESPA; www.projectaction.org) that offers training and resources for travel trainers. Te ESPA Introduction to Travel Training program identifies intellectual, physical, pedestrian, safety, communica- tion, social and wayfinding skills as necessary for travel training. It also addresses specific technical skills of boarding the vehicle, riding the vehicle and deboarding. Te creation of a transition plan from childhood to adulthood


generally begins for children with disabilities during their mid-teens, yet the learning opportunities of 3,600 school bus trips have been wasted. Because travel training is a part of IDEA, its goals become a part of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Travel train- ing goals would address specific skills such as walking to a bus stop, waiting for the bus, boarding the bus, recognizing when to exit and interacting with other bus riders. Call me crazy, but it seems these are similar to the behaviors we teach younger school bus riders. Unfortunately, the very riders who will depend on public buses


as adults often do not receive this training. Tey get picked up at their front door every day from preschool to 21 years old in a bus devoid of passengers from the general population without a thought that establishing goals in these areas could develop valuable life skills. Tey do not have to make any choices or de- cisions or exhibit any skills during transport process — which, again, essentially wastes the educational value of thousands of bus trips. What would IEP goals look like for travel-training skills on the


school bus? Let’s start with the first one — getting to the bus stop. If a parent currently walks the child to the school bus, then a goal could be for the parent to walk the child to a point five feet away from the school bus and have the child to walk the final five feet alone. Over time, as the child develops walking to the bus skills, the parent could gradually stop farther away from the bus. Once the child is walking from the house unassisted, the bus stop could be moved to a nearby corner (remember, we have 17 years to ac- complish this). Other skills a child could learn on the school bus include in-


teracting with other passengers (on a regular bus with support), learning to identify major streets and landmarks in the commu- nity and presenting a token to the driver when boarding. Space restrictions limit further examples, but there are many


questions besides “What does it look like?” Is it even possible? What exposure do I have to liability? Any plan that includes incremental changes over time will need a well-trained and con- sistent staff aboard the bus as well as prepared backup bus staff. In addition, parents or guardians must be fully involved with


implementation of any new plan. Children’s safety must always be No. 1, but as they mature and become more responsible, their goals should grow along with them. Children with significant dis- abilities spend a great deal of time on the bus. Why not make that time educational, preparing these children for success in their adult life? For a more in-depth analysis of this issue, see “Travel Training


on the School Bus,” a paper written with an ESPA grant by this author at www.stnonline.com/go/864. n


Based in Syracuse, N.Y., Ted Finlayson-Schuler is the owner of Safety Rules!, which provides training on school travel safety. He is also the founder and former executive director of the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute. He can be reached at SchoolBusTed@safetyrules.net.


Join Ted Finlayson-Schueler and two transportation directors for a free travel training webinar on Feb. 28. Visit www.stnonline.com/webcasts to register.


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