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Nick is certainly an exceptional young man. Born with many developmental delays and mental retardation, he has exceeded all our expectations. Parents of children with disabilities are not always eager to let their child practice their independence. Not letting them learn skills for everyday living is imposing on them an unnecessary impediment. Fortunately for us, the Houston METRO is 100% accessible, bus and rail drivers are taught how to assist individuals with disabilities, and they offer a travel training curriculum for teens on how to safely ride public transportation. Some students with disabilities may not achieve academic measures of success, but for these students the ability to integrate into the life of the community is an ideal measure of success. Students who take travel training in their transition to adult life in the community have the best outcomes. It can make the difference between a person with disability going out to movies, museums, etc. or sitting at home dependent on others for transportation. Knowing how to get to a church, a volunteer position, or even a job gives a person freedom and dignity.
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Retrieved from the Web site of the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota (http://ici.umn.edu). Citation: Gaylord, V., Abeson, A., Bosk, E., Timmons, J., & Lazarus, S. (Eds.). (2005). Impact: Feature Issue on Meeting Transportation Needs of Youth and Adults with Developmental Disabilities 18(3). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration. Available at http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/183/default.html.
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Hard copies of Impact are available from the Publications Office of the Institute on Community Integration. The first copy of this issue is free; additional copies are $4 each. You can request copies by phone at 612/624-4512 or e-mail at icipub@umn.edu, or you can fax or mail us an order form. See our listing of other issues of Impact for more information.
The PDF version of this Impact, with photos and graphics, is also online at http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/183/183.pdf.
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