Transportation is an important part of the curriculum for transition students in Westfield. Transition services offer students with disabilities age 18-22 opportunities to prepare for life after the school system through individualized curricula that emphasize practicing social skills, interacting in community spaces such as stores, and preparing for employment. Westfield’s program is located in a community setting, conveniently across the street from the Westfield Center PVTA bus stop. Transition Specialist Sherry Elander and her team introduce students to local transportation options at a pace tailored to each student. According to Elander, "It is extremely important to assist these students as they transition from school-based to community services, and transportation is the key to making this happen." Elander reports that she has seen a rise in the students' independence and interest in exploring not only their community, but surrounding communites as well. “Working closely with the families throughout this journey is extremely important, as for some students, this is their first time using transportation other than a school bus or a parent’s car,” she explains.
Elander recently invited MassMobility to visit the site to hear students’ transportation stories directly. One student shared that she enjoys the school bus and is now learning to ride the public bus with her friends. Many students use the PVTA paratransit service and have taken the fixed-route bus on group excursions with the class. Some students have done
travel training through PVTA to learn to ride the bus independently. Students shared their opinions and experiences about transportation. Two students emphasized the social nature of transportation: one enjoys riding the bus with her friend, while another enjoys meeting other paratransit customers in shared rides. A third student highlighted that riding the bus is very affordable compared to other options. Students also shared challenges they have encountered using transit. A volunteer recounted a time when she accidentally got on the wrong bus to meet a student, and had to ride to the end of the route to transfer back to the bus she originally wanted. When students discussed the challenge of sometimes having to wait for a paratransit ride to appear, one student suggested exercising as a good way to pass the time while waiting.
One student is particularly enthusiastic about transportation. In his free time, he works on transportation planning, drafting a re-routing of the PVTA system and designing a low-cost door-to-door paratransit livery service to take people with disabilities to the airport. He is working on learning to ride the Peter Pan system in hopes of one day riding all the way to Cape Cod. “His family, my team, and I support him in his dreams, which we believe will come to fruition one day,” Elander says.
