Discover My Route is a travel training program designed to teach people 18 years of age and older with an Intellectual or Developmental Disability (IDD) how to use public transit independently in Toronto. The program has been created in partnership with Community Living Toronto, Community Access to Transportation Hamilton, Geneva Centre, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Kerry’s Place Autism Services, Salvation Army Lawson Ministries, and the Toronto Transit Commission with a two year grant from the Ministry of Community and Social Services’ Employment and Modernization Fund.
The program is being tested and developed through an 18 month pilot project, which includes in class instruction to teach safety and transit skills and one-on-one field training to learn a transit route of the participant’s choice. A smartphone app is being created to help participants with their training and help coach them during their travels.
Registration is closed for the pilot project. After completion of the pilot on March 31, 2019, Discover My Route will be offered as a Passport or individualized funding option to individuals and families by the Developmental Services agency project partners. The program will also be licensed out to other organizations to help make it sustainable and maintain program quality. Discover My Route will open an exciting world of opportunities for adults with IDD in Toronto.
Through education, personalized training and tools, we empower individuals with an intellectual disability with training, information and confidence for safe and effective use of public transportation.
We believe that safe and barrier free public transit should be accessible to all. Our vision is to set the standard for transit training and foster inclusivity, independence and opportunity through informed and supported use of public transit.
The first part of the program features 8 classes which include street safety, instruction on how to use the bus, subway and streetcar, route planning, personal safety, and what to do in an emergency. Classes are two hours long and feature the use of powerpoint slides, instructional videos, role plays and quizzes.
The second part of the program will teach the participant how to travel one route of their choice with one on one instruction in the community from a Discover My Route Travel Training Coordinator. Towards the end of the training, the instructor will follow the participant from a distance once they are confident that the participant can travel the route on their own.
Interested applicants will need to attend a 1.5 hour intake interview to see if they are a good match for the program. The first half of the interview will be an assessment of the participant's transit skills. The second half of the interview will also involve the participant's caregiver and include discussion about the participant's support needs and goals.
The Discover My Route app provides trip planning, real-time arrival information, and GPS-style step-by-step directions including “Get Off Notifications” that let the rider know when their stop is coming. Customized to meet each person's needs, this app will enable people with an IDD to take transit with greater ease and confidence.
To develop this solution, Moovit, a leading Mobility as a Service (MaaS) provider and the #1 public transit app in the world, partnered with Community Living Toronto, an organization that fosters inclusive communities by supporting the rights and choices of people with an intellectual disability. The app is part of a broader public transit training program called DiscoverMyRoute, for people with an IDD in Toronto.
or contact one of our partners for more information
We are looking for organizations that are interested in offering the Discover My Route curriculum. Please tell us more about yourself and we will be in touch soon:
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