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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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2011-2012 Association of Travel Instruction Officers: |
President
President-elect
Secretary
Treasurer |
Mary
Riegelmayer
Peggy Schmidt
Susan Olsson
Rosanne Bopp |
To contact any of
the above ATI Officers or the eight additional ATI Board of
Directors members, please
CLICK HERE.
E-news Editor: Terry Moakley E-news Designer: Terry
Massie |
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ATI 2011-2012
Silver Sponsors
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http://ctdelco.org
Eddystone, Pennsylvania |
Baltimore, Maryland |
http://suburbantransit.org
Blue Bell,
Pennsylvania |
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IN THIS ISSUE: |
1.
President's
Message by Mary Riegelmayer
2.
Press Release, by Peggy Schmidt: New Travel Training
Definitions Approved
3.
August Philadelphia Conference Presentations Now on ATI
Website
4.
""Differently-abled Riders' Require Alternative Travel
Training Levels" in Metro Magazine
5.
Access Board Public Hearing November 9 in Washington, DC
6.
New Transportation Department ADA Final Rule Impacts Rail
Platform Design
7.
Accessible Taxi Developments in New York City
8.
Forward this Newsletter |
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE BY MARY RIEGELMAYER
With
the advent of the New Freedom funding program, many new travel
training programs have blossomed.
These funds have been used in a variety of ways. Recently, a number
of requests have come to our attention regarding the use of these
funds. We are always looking for new contributions to this
e-newsletter and our print newsletter, and we would be delighted if
some of our members would like to share the creative ways they have
used New Freedom funding. This will help our members to better
develop their programs and hone their services, as well as network
with some existing systems to see how they work. Trainers could then
use parts of this information to further enhance their own programs
or to help others just getting started to become more efficient. We
also welcome any articles or bits of information about your programs
and training techniques that you would like to share. Questions that
you may have about training are also welcome, and we will include
these in our newsletter or e-news and invite our membership to
respond. Please feel free to use this forum to get the answers you
have been seeking, and to help others along the way who may have
similar questions and no one to ask. Send your ideas to me at
riegelmayer@ccbmrdd.org. |
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PRESS RELEASE, BY
PEGGY SCHMIDT: NEW TRAVEL TRAINING DEFINITIONS APPROVED
The membership of the Association of Travel Instruction (ATI)
voted at their Annual Conference in Philadelphia in August to
approve new travel training definitions.
The approval reflected one and a half years of work by committee
members and input from the ATI membership. The definitions were
crafted to reflect changes in the field of travel instruction. The
increasing number of persons with disabilities, seniors and other
individuals who need assistance to use transportation independently
has created a surge in demand for travel training services. This
demand has expanded the providers of these services to include:
public transit agencies, school systems, non-profit agencies, adult
service provider agencies, senior centers, rehabilitation centers
and independent living centers. It became obvious to ATI that the
definition of travel training, which had not changed since the
1960s, needed to be reviewed in order to reflect the expanded scope
of work now available. According to committee member and ATI Board
Member, Peggy Groce, “Although
travel training is an emerging profession with a broad range of
professional providers and continuum or family of travel instruction
services, it is not a new practice. ATI recognized that it was time
for a standard definition of travel training that reflects this
range of services and providers. The ATI approved standard
definition will support the travel instruction professionals in
helping individuals determine which service best suits their needs,
in providing specific services to individuals to meet their
particular needs, in assisting provider agencies in the decision as
to the most appropriate services to offer to their clients, and in
interacting with local, state and national government agencies,
foundations, and other funding services to identify the particular
service or continuum of services being provided.” ATI
is the first organization dedicated to improving access to travel
training for individuals with disabilities and seniors while
supporting and advocating for the providers of their practice. For
more information on the definitions,
CLICK HERE. If you have questions regarding the definitions,
please contact Committee members Rosanne Bopp,
rozzdom@aol.com; Peggy Groce,
mmgrocett@aol.com; or Julie Wilcke,
jwilcke@rideconnection.org. |
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AUGUST PHILADELPHIA
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS NOW ON ATI WEBSITE
We are delighted
to report that a significant number of the PowerPoint, PDF and Word
documents shown or handed out at the very successful Philadelphia
Conference are now available on the ATI website.
CLICK HERE to view a number of presentations about travel
training seniors, including the seven (7) most common mistakes made
in communicating with seniors; an introduction to the work of the
National Center on Senior Transportation; and, one transit agency’s
senior mentoring program. You will also find presentations on
successful travel training partnerships with school districts and
mental health agencies. Also, look for a presentation entitled
“Volunteer and Paid Trainers: What Are the Implications for the
Future of Travel Training Services?” This two page handout is
interactive, asking all ATI members to take the time to answer a few
short questions if you have had experience with both volunteer and
paid travel trainers that you can share. Thanks in advance from its
authors for completing this important survey. |
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"'DIFFERENTLY-ABLED'
RIDERS REQUIRE ALTERNATIVE TRAVEL TRAINING LEVELS" IN METRO MAGAZINE
This short
article was written by Terry Moakley and published in the
September-October 2011 “On Paratransit” column of Metro public
transportation magazine.
This piece was based on a presentation delivered at the 2010 ATI
Conference in Baltimore by long-time New York City Department of
Education travel trainers Peggy Groce and Rosanne Bopp, and titled
“Continuum of Travel Training Services, with Emphasis on Route
Training.” Also, the final version of this article was reviewed by
Ms. Groce for accuracy of content prior to its submission to
Metro editorial staff.
CLICK HERE to read this column, which its author hopes will
help travel trainers
and mobility specialists understand the critical importance of the
client assessment process, prior to initiating the appropriate level
of travel training services. |
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ACCESS BOARD PUBLIC
HEARING NOVEMBER 9 IN WASHINGTON, DC
On Wednesday, November 9th, the U.S. Access
Board will hold a Public Hearing on its proposed guidelines for
accessible public rights-of-way.
This hearing will be from 9:30 to 11:30 AM at the Board’s offices,
1331 F Street NW, Suite 800, in downtown Washington, DC. The
guidelines provide design criteria for accessible public streets and
sidewalks, including pedestrian access routes, street crossings,
curb ramps and blended transitions, on-street parking, street
furniture and other elements. While registration is not required, it
is requested by calling the Access Board at (202) 272-0041 (voice)
or (202) 272- 0065 (TTY). Written comments on these guidelines must
be submitted on or before November 23. Go to
http://www.access-board.gov/prowac/nprm.htm
for complete information. |
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NEW TRANSPORTATION
DEPARTMENT ADA FINAL RULE IMPACTS RAIL PLATFORM DESIGN
On September 19th, the U.S. Department of
Transportation issued a Final Rule amending its ADA regulations.
These amendments affect new and altered intercity, commuter, and
high-speed rail platforms; remove the operational use of the “common
wheelchair” concept; and, codify the existing DOT mechanism for
issuing ADA guidance. The effective date of these changes is October
19: however, the rail station amendments become effective on
February 1, 2012 for projects not already under construction or in
final design by that date. |
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ACCESSIBLE TAXI
DEVELOPMENTS IN NEW YORK CITY
On October 13th, in a U.S. District Court
case about the lack of wheelchair-accessible taxis, a U.S.
Department of Justice official transmitted a ruling to the judge in
the case stating that the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission
has failed to provide fair service to persons with disabilities, and
until it does, every new yellow taxi placed into service should be
wheelchair-accessible.
This ruling focuses on the obligations of the Commission to comply
with certain provisions of Title II of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Commission Chairman David Yassky described the
lawsuit itself as “misguided,” and during a radio interview of the
same day, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, “you just can’t take a
wheelchair out into the street and try and hail a cab. It is
dangerous and a lot of drivers just ignore them.” Bloomberg added,
“a lot of drivers say the passengers are too far away and so they
can’t have a good dialogue.” Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a more
reasonable statement, “I understand and appreciate the concerns
raised by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Moreover, I understand the
human needs of the disabled community when it comes to access to
taxis. We will be addressing the issue as we consider modifications
to the current legislation.” A bill passed by both houses of the NY
State legislature in June has not been signed by the Governor, due
in part to opposition from disability advocates because it would
require only a little more than one-third of new yellow taxis to be
accessible and no accessibility whatsoever to the 22,000 non-yellow
taxis that serve northern Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and
Staten Island. On October 20, however, the Taxi & Limousine
Commission approved the new MV-1 vehicle,
www.vpgautos.com, for use as a yellow taxi in New York City.
Photo courtesy of
Kate Hinds, Transportation Nation |
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FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER
Know other travel trainers,
travel instructors, mobility specialists, ADA coordinators, ADA
Paratransit eligibility certifiers, travel buddies, human service
agency transportation staff, school transition coordinators,
independent living center or other disability group transportation
advocates—basically anyone who assists persons with disabilities or
seniors to use public transportation, or who is thinking of starting
any type of travel training service, from short and simple group
familiarization programs to intensive, short-term one-on-one travel
training?
If so, please forward this issue to them. Help ATI
build its membership and attract new sponsors |
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P.O. Box 2042 - Madison Square Station
- New York, NY 10159 |
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