8776
Transportation and Mobility Issues for Autistic Adults and Adolescents: Review of Research and Practice
Thursday, July 14, 2016: 4:00 PM-5:15 PM
Studio 1 (New Orleans Marriott)
The job’s not perfect if you can’t get there. Housing options are meaningless if one can’t travel in their community. Transportation and mobility are as vital as housing and employment, and can significantly impact a person’s quality of life. This session will focus on transportation services, supports, accommodations and training.
This session will be a review why transportation and mobility are some important for an individual’s quality of life. Often the focus is on where an individual will work and where they will live while leaving out how they will commute between the two as well as how they will access other important aspects of community life. Whether one is looking to independently drive, take an agency van to a supported program, or walk to the corner store the need to get from point A to point B remains the same. Too often school, agencies and families overlook the critical aspect of access to transportation and the appropriate accommodations, supports, procedures and training required to navigate. This focus of this session look at various options that are available for individuals with ASD. Methods to integrate transportation and mobility training into educational or adult programming will be discussed. A review of how to find various transportation options in one’s community will be reviewed followed by individual rights regarding access to transportation.
The session will review the following areas:
1. Transportation Services to be reviewed
- Public Transit Services including disability pass
- Paratransit services
- Human Services Transportation – provided by day program
2. TMAs – Transportation Management Associations – what they are, what they may offer, pros and cons, big differences between various TMAsSupport/Training Services
- Driver Training by Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialists – CDRS
- Travel Training
3. Rights to transit/transportation
- Legal rights
- Self-Advocacy
In addition, the presentation will review current research on transportation and mobility being conducted at Rutgers University and elsewhere to address the transportation needs and barriers of adults on the spectrum.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss the specific transportation and mobility needs and barriers of autistic adults so that more meaningful efforts can be made for individuals to find the mode that best suits their travel needs
- Educate those educating, training and assisting persons with ASD on their work-related skills about options as well as the importance of transportation access for gainful employment and independence.
Track: Lifespan 4 - Adulthood
Content Area: Long Term Services and Support
Presenter:
Cecilia Feeley, Ph.D.
Transportation Autism Project Manager
Rutgers University Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
Cecilia Feeley, Ph.D., is the Transportation Autism Project Manager at the Rutgers’ Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation. She solely focuses on transportation issues for adults with ASD working on numerous projects involving transportation, transit and mobility. Her Doctorate in Transportation Engineering focused on the paratransit needs of autistic adults.
