HAMILTON-WENTWORTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
St. Jean de Brébeuf's CAT program promotes independent living

For students who rely on others for transportation, being able to navigate through the community safely is an important life skill that promotes independence.

With that goal in mind, five students with special needs from St. Jean de Brébeuf Catholic Secondary School participated in a Community Access to Transportation (CAT) course with assistance from the HSR. The week-long course taught participants about bus and pedestrian safety and how to navigate city bus routes to promote independent living. The course was a combination of in-class lessons and practical community/bus experiences where they learned essential elements of community safety, including the importance of community helpers, safely riding the HSR, loading fares and using the bus schedule, and safety when alone in the community.

For Dave, learning how to take the city bus has increased his opportunities for employment.

"I have moved, so learning how to safely take the bus home and to work has been great," he says.

Dave is enrolled in the Supported Community Work Experience Program (SCWEP), through which he obtained paid part-time employment. "I can now take the city bus to my work instead of using the school bus, so I'm able to learn more bus routes."

Christhan believes the skills he learned have kept him safer in the community: "I always had to have my mom drive me places, but now I feel better about being on my own in the community. I am hoping to start taking the city bus to my (SCWEP) work placement soon."

For students who typically require a support person when in the community, the skills they learned through this program were valuable. According to the SJB Job Coach, Roy Mills, students learned to safely navigate the HSR system in areas such as presenting their Presto pass, bus etiquette, and role-playing situations that might compromise their safety.

"Even for students who require full-time support, having the ability to access public transportation provides a greater opportunity for success with independent living. I am so proud of how far these students have progressed," says Mills.

"Many of them relied on a family member or DARTS to travel around the community. It is important to realize the significance of being able to independently access public transportation. These skills have opened the door for some of our students to better access services in the community, as well as contribute to society as they can now independently get to work, which is an important foundation in the transition process."

Congratulations to Alex, Amo, Christian, Dave, and Pavlina for successfully completing the Community Access to Transportation course. A special thank you to the City of Hamilton and the HSR for providing each of the participants with a My HSR gift bag.