As I have noted elsewhere on the LO, I work for the Cuyahoga County Board of MR/DD. I help people with cognitive and/or physical disabilities get the resources they need to be healthy and safe, find jobs, support with residential needs, etc.
One service we help with is travel training for people with disabilities to use the RTA system. We usually do a point-to-point system where one particular route is taught to get someone from home to their job and back. Sometimes we do it for getting to the store, the library, etc. Anyway, when someone masters that particular route, we then look to see if they want to learn another route.
This is a highly requested service as it pays huge dividends in terms of someone becoming more independent if they can get somewhere without having to wait on Paratransit, a high-priced taxi or simply go no where at all. The problem? High demand has put people on long waiting lists for the service and I have some ideas on how to get the help people need sooner. In theory, any way.
I am in the process of trying to get some funds to help on a person-by-person basis to pay for local experts in using RTA to help with training an individual who lives in Lakewood to get around Lakewood. This may not work because of a need for certification or training or licensure for the actual training portion of it but in terms of skills, I figure someone who is patient and likes working with people and knows how to use the RTA would find this a rewarding way to help out a fellow citizen (hey, if you don't want the money, we could do that too!!
). So if I find we can get this service without worry of specific training or certification, let me know what you think. The lack of certification doesn't mean lack of background checking. Since I would be using local tax dollars, I would be required to do a fingerprint and background check. But that only need be done once.
Let me know if interested by PM and we can go from there.
Thanks for the interest!
Ciao,
Phil