Support for commuting by students withintellectual disabilities: Overseas case studies

Below we introduce overseas best practices in which new initiatives have been launched to solve various problems relating to the commute to and from school by students with disabilities. Such problems
include long commuting times and the difficulty in providing training on how to commute independently.

The initiative of Curitiba City, Brazil

The initiative of Nordhorn City, Germany

The SITES courtesy bus system serving
facilities for persons with intellectual disabilities

MogLi – teaching students how to commuteby bus in partnership with bus companies

In the city of Curitiba in Brazil, a unique system has been introduced, where students transfer to buses headingfor each school at a central transfer terminal. This has enabled commuting times to be reduced as each school bus
no longer has to drive around the entire city.

In the city of Nordhorn in Germany, the central government, local government and universities worked together
to create a transport education support program that would train school students with disabilities on how to commute on their own. The program has been implemented using city buses with the cooperation of bus operators.

The transfer terminal in Curitiba

City buses in Nordhorn City

The inside of a bus

Bus drivers and assistants work on the same route every day.
Students with disabilities are comfortable with the familiar faces of thedriver and assistant and can receive support from them.

Curitiba
Brasilia

BOLIVIA

BRAZILPARAGUAY

ARGENTINAURUGUAY

Rio de JaneiroSão Paulo

The transfer terminal has become a place for exchange and interaction in addition to the school and home and students with disabilities
actually enjoy the opportunity to change buses.

The capital of Parana State, Brazil with apopulation of around 1.7 million, Curitiba isa city known worldwide for its unique urban
and environmental policies. It introduced aBus Rapid Transit system (BRT) as a meansof transport in order to eliminate the traffic
jams caused by rapid population growth. It
has added a number of extra features suchas increasing the distance between bus
stops and making bus stop platforms levelwith the floor of buses.

Learning how to read signs and understand traffic rules,
using blackboards and miniature models.

Preparing a setting to simulate a real transport
environment and learning how to ride a bicycle, etc.

Nordhorn
Denma rkUnited
Kingdom
Netherlands

BerlinPolandGermany

Belgium

Czech Republic

FranceSwitzerland

Austria

Persons from the bus company
association, including retired busdrivers, act as instructors, explaining
to students how to show their photobus passes when they get on thebus and also showing and explaining
about the emergency exits.

Nordhorn is a major center of Bentheim
County in Lower Saxony, northwest
Germany, with a population of approximately 53,000. The west side of the city
borders the Netherlands and it is locatedon a major transport route linking
Germany and Amsterdam. In terms ofeducation, the city has 15 elementary
schools and 14 secondary schools, aswell as three schools that provide
support for those with special needs.

A sheet is spread out on the ground to show theblind spot from the driver s seat and enable
students to confirm its position. The students
also have the opportunity to sit in the driver sseat of a city bus to see it for themselves.

Support for commuting by students withintellectual disabilities: Overseas case studies

Below we introduce overseas best practices in which new initiatives have been launched to solve various problems relating to the commute to and from school by students with disabilities. Such problems
include long commuting times and the difficulty in providing training on how to commute independently.

The initiative of Curitiba City, Brazil

The initiative of Nordhorn City, Germany

The SITES courtesy bus system serving
facilities for persons with intellectual disabilities

MogLi – teaching students how to commuteby bus in partnership with bus companies

In the city of Curitiba in Brazil, a unique system has been introduced, where students transfer to buses headingfor each school at a central transfer terminal. This has enabled commuting times to be reduced as each school bus
no longer has to drive around the entire city.

In the city of Nordhorn in Germany, the central government, local government and universities worked together
to create a transport education support program that would train school students with disabilities on how to commute on their own. The program has been implemented using city buses with the cooperation of bus operators.

The transfer terminal in Curitiba

City buses in Nordhorn City

The inside of a bus

Bus drivers and assistants work on the same route every day.
Students with disabilities are comfortable with the familiar faces of thedriver and assistant and can receive support from them.

Curitiba
Brasilia

BOLIVIA

BRAZILPARAGUAY

ARGENTINAURUGUAY

Rio de JaneiroSão Paulo

The transfer terminal has become a place for exchange and interaction in addition to the school and home and students with disabilities
actually enjoy the opportunity to change buses.

The capital of Parana State, Brazil with apopulation of around 1.7 million, Curitiba is
a city known worldwide for its unique urban
and environmental policies. It introduced aBus Rapid Transit system (BRT) as a meansof transport in order to eliminate the traffic
jams caused by rapid population growth. It
has added a number of extra features suchas increasing the distance between bus
stops and making bus stop platforms levelwith the floor of buses.

Learning how to read signs and understand traffic rules,using blackboards and miniature models.

Preparing a setting to simulate a real transport
environment and learning how to ride a bicycle, etc.

Nordhorn
Denma rkUnited
Kingdom
Netherlands

BerlinPolandGermany

Belgium

Czech Republic

FranceSwitzerland

Austria

Persons from the bus company
association, including retired bus
drivers, act as instructors, explaining
to students how to show their photobus passes when they get on thebus and also showing and explaining
about the emergency exits.

Nordhorn is a major center of Bentheim
County in Lower Saxony, northwest
Germany, with a population of approximately 53,000. The west side of the city
borders the Netherlands and it is locatedon a major transport route linking
Germany and Amsterdam. In terms ofeducation, the city has 15 elementary
schools and 14 secondary schools, aswell as three schools that provide
support for those with special needs.

A sheet is spread out on the ground to show theblind spot from the driver s seat and enable
students to confirm its position. The students
also have the opportunity to sit in the driver sseat of a city bus to see it for themselves.