Understanding & Working With

Parent’s Reluctance

Introductions

Barbara Borg, MA, OTR

Susan Unger, MA

Travel Training Coordinator

Via Mobility ServicesParatransitTravel training (T.T.) - 2003

–Group & individual–Denver Metro area

• Older Adults

• Individuals with Disabilities: Physical, Mental Health, Intellectual / Cognitive

Who Do We Serve?

• Get on Board / RTD / ADA riders

• What we offered…

• What we learned…

Denver T.T. Program 2009-2012

One persistent barrier to learning how to ride the bus

(participate in travel training)

to for adults with intellectual

disabilities was…

…Reluctant Parents

• Critical role of parent / host

home provider

• Parents vary in knowledge

• Parental beliefs & values

Parent Perspective

Travel Training:How to Decide if

It’s the Way to Go

How We Gathered Information

• Parent dialogues• Case manager reports• Literature• (Our)Past experiences

Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective

•Information sharing

•Helping people to challenge, and perhaps change, beliefs

What do you think?

• Inappropriate public behavior?

• Too much to learn?

• Setting up son/daughter for disappointment?

• Risk of being treated badly by strangers.

Reluctant parents…

• Behavior in unexpected situation?

• Son or daughter might humiliate himself or herself.

• Parent’s job is to protect child from stress or failure.

• Disruption to family routine.

• Not necessary to be more independent.

• Sometimes we just have to accept the limitations.

What do “open” parents think?

• Increased independence is a valuable, personal goal.

• Life does not “come with guarantees.”

• “We don’t know until we try.”

“Open” parents…

• Recognized own mortality.

• Were concerned about future.

• Transit independence builds

pride & self-confidence.

• Valued learning opportunity.

• Not letting them try is a

dis-service.

• Valued real-world experiences.

• Son/daughter can learn skills to

safely access community.

• Community benefits from

interacting with their son

or daughter.

• Our beliefs…

• Our values / priorities…

• Our expectations…

• What we “know” / facts…

Intervening Role of Cognition

A BELIEF CHECK

• How did I come to this belief?

• Is what I believe still true?

• If I believed something different, what might happen?

• How do my beliefs & expectations influence my feelings?

• How do my beliefs influence my behaviors?

Avoid “why” questions?

Avoid asking…

Why do you feel this way?

Why don’t you want to do

this?

Opening the dialogue…

• What do you imagine…?

• What would happen if…?

• How might your life change if…?

Instead use…

• What would be your concerns?

• What could be done to address concerns?

• To help parent to identify what they believe, and

• To help them to do a ‘belief check’, and

• To update knowledge

Travel Trainer’s Goal

• Sending home the T.T. book • Sponsor parent support groups

• Taking parents out on bus or rail

• Sitting down with whole family

Strategies

• Using movies, internet or other media to illustrate success (and also realistic limitations)

• Sharing testimonials

• Give it to parents / hhp

• T.T. program outreach campaign

• Referring agencies / schools

• Include book in “new client” resource packet

Ideas for using the book

The parent and the rider

are the experts on their lives,

not us!

Never forget….

Cost: $8.00 + s/h

traveltraininghowtodecide.com

To Order books…

Susan UngerTravel Training

Coordinator6500 Franklin StreetDenver, CO 80229

303-447-2848 ext. 1048sunger@viacolorado.org

For more information

Barb BorgCustomer & Community

Services Coordinator2855 N. 63rd. St.

Denver, CO 80301

303-447-2848 ext. 1047bborg@viacolorado.org