Transportation Skills Assessment Tool: Test Protocol for ... - CAIT

IntroductionThe Transportation Skills Assessment Tool is developed as a component fordetermining the skills required for various types of paratransit services. It is designedfor individuals who may have difficulty in utilizing available paratransit services. TSATis an assessment designed to evaluate the component skills needed for using ADAcomplementary paratransit, curb-to-curb paratransit, door-to-door paratransit, doorthrough-doorparatransit and hand-to-hand paratransit. The research team receivedinput and assistance from travel trainers Melody Bundy and Larry Lindstrom from NJTIP, Inc. Travel Instructors, John McGill from Passaic County Para Transit Programs,Steve Fittante and Jeff Gasiewski from Middlesex County Department of Transportation,Susan Olsson and Lydia Peterson from St. Paul Public Schools, Margaret Groce fromNYC Dept. of Education District 75, and Traci Resler from The Kennedy Center, Inc.The discrete tasks were reviewed by members of the Association of Travel Instructionand members of New Jersey’s Council on Special Transportation. The experts whoprovided feedback were Toli Anastassiou – Executive Director of Quest Autism (AdultDay Program in Northern New Jersey), Ed Hoff - ADA Services and Eligibility Managerof NJ Transit, Leslie Long - Director of Housing and Adult Services at Autism Speaks,Judy Shanley – Director of Student Engagement and Mobility Management EasterSeals Project ACTION, and Robert Titus – Director of Public Policy at Autism NJ.The TSAT takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete. It is designed to beadministered by psychologists, educators, transition coordinators, day program serviceproviders, travel trainers, transit service providers, and parents or guardians. TheTSAT is only designed to be one part of the paratransit assessment. The test shouldbe tailored to requirements for independent travel for local and regional systemsavailable for the individual to utilize. Other factors that need to be considered forindividual travel would include behaviors that may preclude independent travel. Issuesconcerning the variables of the paratransit system should also be taken into account –this may mean different drivers, different routes, different passengers, etc.The TSAT is designed to represent the communicative and cognitive skills an applicantneeds to take various types of paratransit services. The structure of the assessment isbased on the skills needed to take actual paratransit services. The TSAT is structuredfor the individual to test from hand-to-hand paratransit services to door-to-door anddoor-through-door and finish with curb-to-curb including ADA complementaryparatransit services. The test also isolates and identifies that the skill componentsneeded for hand-to-hand travel on a public paratransit bus where the individual will bemet by caregivers on both ends of the trip but will travel independently with a driver whomay not have training for dealing with a disability.