Learning Life Skills on the School Bus

Identification and teaching of generalizable transportation skills

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Meet Your GuidesMeet Your Guides

Moderator ? – Ryan Gray, STN

Ted Finlayson-Schueler, Safety Rules!

Clarkstown CSD• Jodi Caliciotti,

Special Ed Teacher• Carla Zambri,

School Psychologist • Barbara McCabe,

Special Ed Teacher

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Today’s Goals

At the conclusion of this presentation, you will have an understanding of:•Travel Training within the context of IDEA, FAPE, LRE, Related Services and Transition Planning•The difference between IDEA and ADA•Broad travel training concepts and school bus corollaries•Specific potentially transferable travel skills•Feasibility and Risk with this population•Necessary, resources, processes and support

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Definitions

• IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)

• FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education)

• LRE -- LR(s)E (Least Restrictive (safe) Environment)

• Related Services• Transition Planning• Travel Training• ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)

• Fixed Route• Paratransit• Kneeling bus

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Travel Training

Providing instruction, as appropriate, to children with significant cognitive disabilities, and any other children with disabilities who require this instruction, 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, as for example in school, in the home, and in the community.

– 34 C.F.R. 300.26(b)(4)5

Adult (ADA)

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Student (IDEA)

• IDEA – school (0-21) specific travel

• IDEA – specialized services

• Known riders• User-specific staff,

vehicle & training• School assesses risk• Traffic control• Maintain custody

• ADA – exempts school buses

• ADA – equal opportunity• General public• Operate lift, secure

wheelchair & announce stops

• User assesses risk• No traffic control• No custody

The basic process of transporting a group of passengers has many

similarities

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The environments have very different parameters, so

how can one prepare riders for the other?

Driving Principles

• Safety• LR(s)E• Teach self-

advocacy• Team focused• Baby steps

Traditional Travel Training: Short-term, comprehensive, intensive instruction (2-6 wk)

School Bus Travel Training: Long-term, incremental instruction focused on individual skills that can be generalized to the transit environment (ages 3-21 or about 7,000 bus stops)

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ESPA* Core Travel Skills

Background Skills• Intellectual• Physical• Wayfinding• Pedestrian• Safety

Technical skills• Boarding the

vehicle• Riding the

vehicle• De-boarding

the vehicle

*Easter Seals Project Action9

NCST* Student Instruction Content

• Travel to and from bus stops• Loading and unloading procedures• Behavior at bus stops• Behavior on board vehicles• Use of applicable passenger

restraints and other safety items identified by transportation safety experts.

*National Congress on School Transportation10

Transit School Bus

Background Skills• Intellectual• Physical• Wayfinding• Pedestrian• Safety Technical skills• Boarding the vehicle• Riding the vehicle• De-boarding the vehicle

Student Training Skills• Travel to and from bus stops• Loading and unloading

procedures• Behavior at bus stops• Behavior on board vehicles• Use of restraints and safety

items

Different…or not?

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Which school bus will most likely provide

that instruction?

Why?Who needs it?

Everybody!

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Range of Services

1. Walk to school3. School bus5. Ambulance

Group stop …. Unsupervised ….Get on alone ....

Sit in seat ….Wheelchair (WC) ….

No medical ….Behavior OK ….

2. Transit bus4. Lift/Special S.B. 6. Parent contract

Special stopSupervisionAssisted loadingSeat w/CSRS*Custom WC equipMedical proceduresBehavior plan

*Child Safety Restraint System

Barriers

• Poor communication between Special Education and Transportation

• Team members unwilling to participate• “Special education bus” mentality• Low expectations of students• High turnover – inadequate driver/

attendant training – frequent absenteeism

• Over-protectiveness of students w/disabilities

• Lack of transportation goal-setting 14

Everything builds confidence

Teach and Praise• Be waiting at stop• Walk up the stairs• Get in seat• Put on seat belt• Hold buckle while you

fasten seat belt or carseat straps

• Maneuver WC inside bus

• Tell you which way to turn

• Announce next stop

• Sitting for 5 minutes or 30 seconds

• Using appropriate voice

• Calming down15

School Bus Simulation

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SKILL -- Communication

• Talk to students – even if you have to have both sides of the conversation

• Ask questions• Have them ask questions – don’t

guess• Encourage/allow conversations with

other students• Help students learn conversation

clues

*Easter Seals Project Action

Transit Skill*

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SKILL -- Locating the stop or station

Transition from door-to-door• Walk, wheel, drive final feet

to bus – parent fades• Move stop incrementally

from front of house• Create group stop at house• Move to group stop• Create a “bus stop” sign to

identify stop

*Easter Seals Project Action

School Bus SimulationTransit Skill*

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SKILL -- Identifying the correct vehicle

• While waiting, the parent can ask, “Is that your bus?” every time a bus passes

• At school, student can learn to find/identify bus with route number or symbol displayed

• At school, follow the same fading home procedure for getting from classroom to bus

*Easter Seals Project Action

School Bus SimulationTransit Skill*

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SKILL -- Paying the Fare

• Create bus “passes” that the student needs to give to the driver

• Give pass to student immediately before boarding – fade to a book of ten tickets for the week

• Have driver give student “transfer” in the morning for PM trip home

*Easter Seals Project Action

School Bus SimulationTransit Skill*

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SKILL -- Identifying Landmarks and Bus Stops

• Teach them landmarks/street names• Teach them the route• Have them describe their location and

plans for travel• Give them a map of the bus route

each day and they can mark progress• Have them write the time they pass

landmarks, major streets, etc.• Have them “signal” the driver when

their stop is approaching (buzzer)

*Easter Seals Project Action

School Bus SimulationTransit Skill*

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SKILL -- Finding a seat

• Begin with helping child to assigned seat• Create marker to identify child’s seat• Allow child to find seat• Encourage helping with CSRS• Practice fading as established by

transportation goals• Establish a “safety signal” so child can

communicate dis-ease

*Easter Seals Project Action

School Bus SimulationTransit Skill*

Attendant Fading

ATTChild

Driver

ATTChild

Driver

ATT Child

Driver

ATT

Child

Driver

Child

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SKILL -- Following the Rules

• Start with one rule• Start with concrete rules• Explain reasons• Identify natural

consequences• Encourage small

accomplishments

*Easter Seals Project Action

School Bus SimulationTransit Skill*

Praiseworthy

He got it half right!

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Travel Training

Key Principles*• Individualized instruction• Training in real environment• Structured sequential Learning

Steps• Emphasis on the whole person• Collaboration of trainee/trainer

* Kennedy Center Report25

Implementation Needs

• Stable, well-trained bus staff• Commitment to LR(s)E• Transportation involvement in IEP goal

setting• Transportation is a part of BIPs• PT and OT coordinate with transportation

in skill development• Qualified Travel Instructor is a part of the

identification of transferable skills

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Necessary Process

• Appoint a Task Force• Develop Policies and

Procedures/Forms• Perform Task Analyses• Create Progressive Goals• Design Assessment Measures• Create Staff Training• Establish an ongoing Travel

Training Committee27

Let’s work together…

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For our students’ future

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