Good News Friday!

One of our goals at Imagine! is to provide opportunities to the individuals we serve to live as independently as possible. A person’s ability to live an independent life is directly related to their ability to travel throughout their community.

That is why we are so pleased to be associated with Special Transit’s Easy Rider Program. This program helps seniors and people with disabilities expand their travel options in Boulder County. The travel instruction program is designed to assist people in learning how to safely and confidently use public transportation (RTD and Call-n-Ride).

Since the Easy Rider program began in 2003, 62 Imagine! consumers have enrolled in this program and successfully learned how to ride the bus by themselves.

The registration fee for this one-on-one training is only $25. Before the program begins, an expert instructor conducts an in-home assessment with each individual to get acquainted and help determine the person’s needs and goals. Travel sessions are then scheduled to provide first-hand experience riding buses in the community. Each individual’s needs and abilities are different, so the amount of practice time varies from person to person.

Program training includes planning a bus trip using a route schedule and map, getting on and off buses using the proper fare, identifying landmarks, transferring from one bus to another, and using safe pedestrian skills and stranger awareness.

Imagine! consumers make up 28% of the referrals that Special Transit gets for this program, and we are well aware of the powerful positive impact the program has on our consumers’ lives.

For more details on the Easy Rider Program, contact Susan Unger, Special Transit’s Travel Training Coordinator at (303) 447-2848, ext. 105.