Daniel’s story

Daniel was in year 11 and due to start at East Sussex College’s Hazel Court Further Education department in September.

Daniel, who was reliant upon taxis to transport him to school, did not go out independently, and his family supported him to meet with friends or visit local youth groups. As his family started to support him to work on crossing the road and purchasing items in the local shop, Daniel expressed a desire to learn how to use public transport so that he would be able to attend college as independently as possible. This was discussed with his school, and he was referred to our LiftTraining programme.

Learning independence for travel

Daniel completed his travel training while attending year 11. Despite being worried about his speech dyslexia, Daniel was supported to overcome this with speech cards, which he used to purchase bus tickets and communicate with staff. Daniel’s confidence grew enough for him to be able to communicate without them, but he continued to keep the cards with him in case he felt he needed them.

Our travel trainer also helped Daniel to understand what to do and who to contact in situations where his bus was late or cancelled, or if he had accidently boarded the wrong one. This reduced Daniel’s anxiety and gave him practical solutions he could apply in real scenarios.

As Daniel wanted to learn how to know when his next bus was due, he received training on reading paper and online timetables (via an app), as well as checking digital displays at bus stops. Road skills sessions enabled Daniel to learn how to cross busy roads, as well as plan the safest route to and from his college.

‘Daniel was an excellent student who was always attentive and very mature when travelling,’ said LiftTraining Programme Leader Debbie Baldwin.

‘His favourite part was using the app, especially the ticket option, and watching the bus en route while waiting at the stop.’

Find out more

For more information about LiftTraining in East Sussex, get in touch with the team by calling 07815 006582, completing our online referral form or emailing us at liftenquiry@nationalstar.org.