How do we build safety awareness to enable young disabled people to travel in their communities?

Research shows that in some countries,  over half of caregivers believe that their child would benefit from travel safe knowledge and they  believed their child was missing out on participating in everyday life because of a lack of safe transport options. Most parents and guardians never receive any information about safely transporting their child and said that they would benefit from trustworthy, independent and evidence-based information to ensure families, health professionals and organisations have the right information at the right time for good decision making.”

What is the social model approach to road safety?

If we are to eliminate road and travel trauma for disabled youth and their families, we must understand that  real travel safety outcomes for all can only be achieved when we consider the needs of our most vulnerable. Our approach to eliminating road and travel trauma for youth with disabilities and their families is based on the Social Ecological Model. This model aligns with most countries’ National Road Safety Strategies. This approach moves beyond the youth and family to understand, analyse and activate the broader community and societal elements of the ecology. This enables us to understand how a system can meet the transport safety needs of youth with disabilities and medical conditions.

Our course is designed for both youth and adults. It's perfect for anyone who wants to feel safer and more confident when traveling within their community. It's also ideal for parents who want to educate their children about community safety.

Are the Travel Safe Workbook and resources adequate for youth with intellectual disability?

The Travel Safe! project was co-designed with youth with intellectual disability about getting out and about safely, as facilitated by trusted support people. 

How were contents selected and produced? 

Participants workshopped stories in a drama group setting. The group determined how to include all safety elements in a series of video stories. Contents were finalised in collaboration with experts - making sure no important topic gets left out. Participants then acted, role played and filmed themselves in a message to their peers. 

It is a resource for youth

Young people have commented that they love the opportunity to rehearse what might happen when they travel in their  community. Some have also used the Workbook with their support worker before going on outings and afterwards, to reflect on potential incidents. 

It is a resource for parents

Parents can use the resources individually and with their children. The Travel Safe video materials lend themselves to family discussions and the Travel Safe workbook offers great activities to do as a family, together with the young person.

You can access the course by simply filling in your details at checkout — no payment required. Once you've signed up, you'll receive immediate access to all the course materials and your personal login information.

You'll learn practical knowledge about how to travel safely in your community. This includes understanding potential risks, learning how to avoid dangerous situations, and knowing what to do if you find yourself in an unsafe situation.

An Advisory Group selected in collaboration with a service provider oversaw the process and outputs, ensuring the balance of quality control and zest, creativity and fun that will appeal to this age group. These two groups curated the final collection of Peer-Support Learning Clips. The collection disseminates the much-needed learning as shared between peers – as opposed to a resource made by educators or consultants – because peer-knowledge has been shown most effective! 

How were these resources for families received?

"We received a huge amount of positive feedback about this project", says Dr Annick Janson. The downloadable hard copies are personal workbooks in which people can enter information about their surroundings, streets and public transport stations, along with more personalised information. The resource was piloted and distributed nationwide in New Zealand and was well received. This is why we are sharing it further now!

The Fast Track Inclusion Trust has taken great care to create accurate and helpful content for this course. However, all information is provided for general educational purposes only and may not reflect individual circumstances.

We do not accept liability for any errors, omissions, or outcomes arising from the use of this material. Please use your judgment and consult trusted support people when making decisions related to safety or travel.