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"Our mission is to support providers
of travel instruction for the purpose of
teaching people with disabilities and seniors
to travel safely and independently."
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IN THIS ISSUE: |
1. Register and Renew
2. The Surface
Transportation Authorization Act of 2009
3. Scholarships and Grants
4. Washington, DC, Metro System Awarded Travel Training Grant
5. 2010 ATI Conference Host
Proposal
6. Travel Training at APTA Conference
7. Forward this Newsletter |
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REGISTER AND RENEW
The clock is ticking.
June 30th is the final day of the Association of Travel Instruction
membership year, and July 6th is the final day to reserve your room
at the Crowne Plaza St. Louis Downtown Hotel in order to insure that
you receive the special July 31 – August 2 ATI Conference room rate
of $111.00 per night, plus applicable local taxes. We have already
made it easier for you to join ATI or renew your ATI membership, and
to register for the ATI conference by now offering secure online
registration. Just CLICK HERE
to get either or both done. And, just call the Crowne Plaza at (314)
621-8200 to lock in your room for the ATI conference. Don’t forget
to mention that you are reserving a room for the ATI conference. A
final word – you’re on your own to get a room after July 6, but
anyone can register for our conference at any time, even at the last
minute. See y’all in St. Louis! |
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THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2009
On June 18th, the
U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, released the Surface Transportation Authorization
Act of 2009.
Read the 17 page Executive Summary in PDF
format
HERE, or for more detailed information, go to the Home page of
the American Public Transportation Association at
www.apta.com. If enacted, this proposed bill would authorize
$500 billion over a six year period for highway, transit, and
high-speed rail programs. It is inaccurate to think of this proposal
as a replacement of the current SAFETEA-LU federal surface
transportation program, because as stated in the Executive Summary,
it “will transform Federal surface transportation from an
amalgamation of prescriptive programs to a performance-based
framework for intermodal transportation investment.” |
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SCHOLARSHIPS AND
GRANTS
Must be a great economy
out there, because the Association of Travel Instruction offers two
different scholarships for travel instructors/travel trainers to
attend the ATI conference, as well as ATI conference attendance
grants for disabled or aging consumers who have completed a travel
training program successfully, and nobody has applied for any of
these benefits.
The scholarships are each $750.00, and up to $600.00 is available
for one or more consumer grants. While there is a June 19, 2009 deadline on ATI’s
Scholarships & Grants Form, the ATI Board of Directors will consider
applications received in the next few weeks.
CLICK
HERE to review requirements, and send in the simple application form
ASAP. |
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WASHINGTON, DC, METRO
SYSTEM AWARDED TRAVEL TRAINING GRANT
On June 17th, the
National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board announced that
it had awarded nearly $1 million in federal funds to Metro to expand
its travel training program.
The funds were awarded under the
Federal Transit Administration’s Jobs Access Reverse Commute and New
Freedom Programs. To implement this two-year pilot project, Metro
will partner with independent living centers in the District,
Maryland, and Virginia, as well as other local disability groups.
This grant will enable Metro to move beyond its current travel
training “familiarization” sessions to more intensive travel
trainings for persons who need them, and to “teach the travel
trainers” within the participating disability groups. Read the full
Metro press release
HERE. |
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2010 ATI CONFERENCE HOST
PROPOSAL
The Association of Travel
Instruction hasn’t held one of its professional development conferences on
the left or the right coast in a while, and we’ve never held one down south
or in Canada, where we have bunches of members.
We might even consider doing
one or more regional conferences next year. So come on travel trainers,
think about hosting a conference in your region. The biggest hurdle is
securing an affordable hotel space, but given the current economy, hotel
group room rates are lower than a couple of years ago in many places. You
will get plenty of help in planning a conference from ATI Board Members who
have helped to plan our previous conferences. Help us spread the freedom
realized through travel training. ATI
Conference Host Proposal Form 2010
HERE. |
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TRAVEL TRAINING AT APTA
CONFERENCE
As reported in the
May 25, 2009 issue of the American Public Transportation
Association’s Passenger Transport magazine, a session on travel
training was held on May 5th at the APTA Bus and Paratransit
Conference in Seattle.
Included on the panel was Association of Travel Instruction Board of
Directors member Frances Rankos, who is a travel instructor at
Pierce Transit in Lakewood, Washington. While ATI was not mentioned
in this article, we want to thank Ms. Rankos for informing session
attendees about our upcoming St. Louis conference. |
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FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER
Know other travel trainers who are
not ATI members, or other persons simply interested in ATI’s
mission?
If so, please forward this issue
to them. Help ATI build our membership and attract new sponsors! |
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P.O. Box 2042 - Madison Square Station
- New York, NY 10159 |
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