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NJ Tip: New Jersey Travel Independence Program
By Tim Sharpe - NJ TRANSIT, and Barbara Small - Small & Associates, Inc.
NJ TRANSIT and
Travel Instruction
Public Transportation, an
easy way for most NJ
citizens to get around,
can sometimes be a
difficult endeavor for
some customers with
disabilities. That all
changed in June 2005
when The New Jersey Travel Independence Program (NJ TIP), NJ TRANSIT’s newest accessible service offering travel instruction to customers with disabilities, started serving customers. It has enhanced NJ TRANSIT’s accessible services by providing travel instruction and support to customers with disabilities who are uncertain about using the fixed route system.
The development of NJ TIP was a long and complex process. To insure that NJ TIP would meet community needs, one of the first tasks was to get input from people with disabilities. To solve this, NJ Transit’s ADA Cultural Access Network met with Citizen’s Advisory Committees, Access Link Assessment Agencies and held Customer feedback sessions. These discussions helped define the NJ TIP pilot program.
Funds were then needed to get the pilot program off the ground. Fortunately, NJ TRANSIT senior management was receptive to NJ TIP, as they recognized it would help maximize NJ TRANSIT capital investments in the accessibility features of the fixed route system.
A Unique Collaboration
With funding in place, NJ TRANSIT selected two organizations as its collaborators. For travel instruction expertise, NJ TRANSIT turned to The Kennedy Center, a nationally recognized human services organization that has taught over 2500 people with disabilities to safely ride public transit through programs in Connecticut, New York City and Boston. The Kennedy Center welcomed the opportunity to shape a new program as the Project Manager.
For operating support, NJ TRANSIT selected Small & Associates Inc., a Livingston, NJ based consulting firm and Access Link assessment agency as the program operator. Small & Associate’s ENABLE Division provides travel instruction as part of its supported employment program and immediately saw the potential in offering travel instruction to people with disabilities who want to travel for a variety of social, medical and educational reasons.
NJ TIP Participants
NJ TIP currently serves individuals
with disabilities who live in Essex,
Morris, Somerset and Union
Counties. The only exception is
people who are blind or visually
impaired. At this time, NJ TIP
does not have staff on hand that
are certified Orientation and
Mobility Instructors and qualified
to teach people who are blind
or visually impaired.
Participating customers represent all ages, disabilities, and socio-economic groups. Some customers have had an accident that prevents them from driving, others have age-related orthopedic issues, some have cognitive disabilities, others have life-long mobility impairments and some have mental health concerns.
The NJ TIP Process
Participation in NJ TIP is
completely voluntary and separate
from the federally mandated
Access Link Paratransit service.
Customers, who are applying for
Access Link, are given the
opportunity to speak with NJ TIP
staff about Travel Instruction.
Access Link assessment and the
NJ TIP program are completely
separate; information is not s
hared between the two programs.
Riders interested in travel
instruction receive a customized
NJ TIP interview in their home.
This is an opportunity to define
travel goals and for family
members to offer input.
Trip Planning, Route Checking and a Travel Instruction Plan are completed before travel instruction begins. The one-onone instruction is tailored to individual needs and continues until the customer can ride safely and independently. For more information, NJ TIP flyers and brochures are included in NJ TRANSIT Accessible Services information packets.
Upon graduation, customers receive a one-month bus or train pass in recognition of their accomplishment. NJ TIP staff contact graduates at 1, 3, 6, and 9-month intervals after graduation to check on progress and offer re-training when needed.
NJ TIP Results
In the first 8 months of the program, 20 customers started travel instruction and 11 have graduated.
These NJ TIP results are a pure win-win situation. NJ TRANSIT benefits with cost savings, but more importantly individuals with disabilities benefit by increasing their options for convenient, safe and independent travel.
Some satisfied customers:
“Thank you for giving me the
“self-confidence” that I needed
to travel alone. Not only did I
receive a life-altering gift, but to
put icing on the cake, you sent
me a 3 Zone Bus Pass.
Who could ask for anymore than
that!”— Clara Croom, NJ TIP’s
first graduate
“I’m 53 years old and I’m so excited that I’m practically crying because this is the first time I have ever been to a mall by myself.”
These words were spoken by NJ TIP’s first trainee after traveling by bus, in her mobility device to the Willowbrook Mall in July.