Travel Training at Carbondale High School Choices Program
What a way to start off the Spring then with a Travel Training with students at Carbondale Community High School, Choices Program! On April 17th, instructor Joanie Bishop invited HSTP Coordinators Jaime Blatti and Terri Finn along with Frank Mulholland, Director for Jackson County Mass Transit District to teach the Choices Students how to utilize public transportation. We discussed all transit in the region, including Amtrak, the Saluki bus, and JCMTD vehicles and where each vehicle could take them.
When asked if they knew about the Amtrak and where they could travel on it, the students shouted out “Miami” and “Chicago” while smiling ear to ear. Included in the training was information on how and where the students could use Jackson County MTD services including employment, education, medical, and visiting their friends and family. And Frank gave all the students and teachers magnets, pens and brochures. Ms. Bishop did an exceptional job of getting the students involved and excited to participate, which made this training anything but ordinary.
The most successful part of the training was having the students call and schedule a ride with JCMTD dispatchers. Thanks to Frank, we were able to call several times allowing multiple students to participate. After scheduling rides, the group walked outside and watched the vehicle arrive and get a hands-on look at all the details of a paratransit vehicle!
The Choices Program is a class of transition age (14-21) students with special needs at Carbondale Community High School who all students live in Carbondale or the surrounding area. Most will be relying on friends, family or public transportation upon graduation. JCMTD and the HSTP Coordinators have been invited back to inform and reiterate to the students, the choices they have with their transportation needs.
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