Mobility and Public Transport Use Abilities of Children and Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: Results From the 3‐Year Nordhorn Public Transportation Intervention Study

Abstract

In addition to individual mobility needs, today's society requires spatial mobility within the expected social role of a pedestrian and bus passenger. A social-ecological model helps to identify opportunities to promote participation in traffic wayfinding by recognizing the multiple factors that influence an individual's behavior. The Nordhorn Public Transportation Intervention Study project in Germany had the aim of increasing the independent use of public transportation by students with intellectual disabilities (ID) through interventions in the social and physical environment. Success of the project was measured by the number of students who were able to independently go from home to school at the end compared with the start of the project and by the skills students evidenced with coping with barriers on their way to school at the end of the project compared with their baseline skills. This multicenter study included various types of interventions: assessment of mobility/traffic competency, mobility integrated individual educational plans, mobility and traffic curriculum, information for teachers and parents, training for bus drivers, real-life traffic training, support by mobility trainers and trip coaches, adaptations to streets and buses, and incident management including the use of communication devices (e.g., mobile phones with Global Positioning System). At the start of the project, <1% of the 124 students with ID used public transport to get to school, 3 years later, the proportion increased to 65.3%. On 19 of 29 items, students showed relevant and statistically significant improvement of skills in public transport use and traffic wayfinding behavior compared with the situation at baseline.

From Social Exclusion to Supported Inclusion: Adults with Intellectual Disability Discuss Their Lived Experiences of a Structured Social Group

“…Although independent bus and train travel may not be possible for all people with intellectual disability, for many it is achievable with the right kind of training (e.g. Haveman et al 2013) such as that offered by the paid social group coordinator. Participation in the social group provides regular opportunities to practice and further develop the skills relevant to independent participation in community leisure activities such as the use of public transport, purchasing entry tickets, ordering and paying for snacks/meals and negotiating decisions with others.…”

Longitudinal use and factors associated with public transport and other travel options for older people with an intellectual disability in Ireland

“…Haveman et al () demonstrated that interventions in the social and physical environments may greatly enhance the ability of young people with intellectual disability to travel independently between home and school. Likewise, Haveman, Tillmann, Stöppler, Kvas, and Monninger (), in a multicomponent intervention, showed that large numbers of special school students could be supported to learn to travel independently to and from school, having previously never done so. The scale of Haveman et al's () findings in Germany, together with similar successes in Australia for numerous post‐school students with intellectual disability learning to travel to employment for the first time (Xu & Stancliffe, ), show what is possible.…”

Accessibility for All in Public Transport and the Overlooked (Social) Dimension—A Case Study of Stockholm

“…They can also result from differential capacities of orientation in the public transport system. Research about informational barriers often deals with the development of new technology and the development of public information systems [33], digital aids through applications to smartphones [34], and educational programmes developed for disabled people to teach them how to travel with public transport [35]. Social barriers can be caused by other passengers [36] or by drivers and staff [37]-they can also result from feelings of insecurity when travelling by public transport [15].…”