EP LOOKS BACK: MAY 2008

My Experience. My Perspective. Transportation to Work Presents Problems

Career enthusiasts with disabilities have bigger issues getting to a job than finding a job.

By Markus Stegers

It is often natural in life for people to become suspicious or question why they were born in the first place. This usually happens as a result of a failed relationship, the loss of a job, or a traumatic accident. However, all these occurrences have something in common in that eventually those people will move on or be healed. Therefore. there is always hope in these situations. especially if they were able-bodied to begin with. But what if you are a person with a permanent disability? There may need to be additional effort made in order to make life meaningful. Time will not remove the many obstacles life has to offer. For instance, many children grow up believing that by the age of 15 or 16 they will go for their driver's test, pass, and use a vehicle as a means of transportation in their future occupation.

But what is not necessarily true for a person with a disability. Take my life, for instance. I had a brain injury when I was nine years old, resulting in a monthlong coma and a year and a half of rehabilitation. I came our with a permanent physical and learning disability. Fortunately, it did not turn out to be so bad as I went back to sixth grade after a long hiatus. I was thankful because I was able to use a bus that had a wheelchair lift. So, for that time period, hope was restored.

After years of taking an accessible bus to school and back, I decided ro go to college and live on campus. Fortunately. my insurance paid for a motorized wheelchair, and the campus I lived on was fairly small so I had a great time going to class. Life was pretty easy at the time, but to my surprise. things started to unravel from then on.

Graduation signaled its own set of problems. Work was my number one priority. I was 22 years old at the time, and my future was going to be filled with a whole lot of work. The biggest problem was not the lack of jobs for a recent graduate who had very little experience, because I knew that something would eventually open up. But what seemed to be the biggest issue was transportation. I lived in Monmouth County in New Jersey, and I was a young adult so I had a big need for independence.

At the beginning of my post-college and pre-job life, it took me about a month and a half to find a job. The only thing left for me to ponder once I found a job was how to get to the job. I knew my parents would be willing to drive me, but I knew they had jobs also. It would be extremely difficult to coordinate their jobs with my job. There were bound to be some awkward waiting periods as we coordinated this successfully. Also, the last thing I would want is to rely on my parents to get to work, which would run contrary to my need for independence. Unfortunately for a time. hitching a ride with Mom or Dad was the scenario that worked best as we looked into the options that my home state of New Jersey had to offer.

My search into transportation options began with the Web site njfindaride.org, which was funded by Medicare and Medicaid for the purpose of providing accessible transportation options for people with disabilities. The New Jersey Department of Human Services is responsible for this Web site. After browsing this site to learn about the various transportation options that New Jersey offers. I found the attractive service called Access Link. which is meant for people who cannot use the traditional buses to get to their destinations. However, there are limitations on who Access Link can pick up, and even if there is a way of navigating around those constraints, you must be willing to accept the limitations of the routes they offer.

The Web site states that: "Access Link serves origins and destinations located within a 3/4 mile buffer of existing bus routes (NJDHS)." This is an outrage for those who live close to a bus stop but not close enough for Access Link to pick them up However, there are ways people can get around this. Unlike me, if you live on a street without heavy traffic and with sidewalks, you can maneuver yourself to this buffer zone. But this trek could be dangerous. It is just a shame to be eligible for this service but not really able to use it because of lack of confidence in being able to access it safely.

After Access Link, I looked for more specific modes of transportation that the County of Monmouth had to offer. I did find a type of service named BETS (Brokered Employment Transportation Services) on the Monmouth County Division of Transportation Web site. The Web site said: "This service provides transportation feeder service to existing public transportation systems, or in cases where these systems are non-existent, a ride within a reasonable distance from home to the worksite. Service is available between 6:00 AM-12:00 AM, Monday through Saturday."

My eyes lit up, and without hesitation, I dialed the number that is listed on their Web site. My excitement was short-lived when I found that there are limitations. First, you must be within 10 miles of your workplace. However, exceptions can be made if you are located only a few miles over the limit. Fortunately for me, I work only 13 miles from home, and they did accept that distance over their limit. However, for some people, a 10-mile distance limit could be difficult since today's job market often requires a lengthy commute. Second, there is a waiting list before this service is available. For me, it was a year and a half wait, and there's always the possibility of a change in job location or status during that time frame. For instance. some recent interviews I've had are for jobs over 20 miles away. Third, the fact that this service only runs six days a week can be an issue. While it does not affect me, people do work on Sundays sometimes.

So if a person does not have reliable transportation in getting to and from work, what will happen? Often, they will lose their job. So transportation challenges can often be one of the biggest stumbling blocks to having a successful vocational experience.

Schools seem to have become very efficient in providing accessible transportation. But, as a person who has experienced the challenges of adult transportation firsthand, I must ask this question: What is the point of education if we cannot utilize it in the job market? Something must be done! •

Markus Kurt Stegers, who sustained a brain injury in 1994, graduated from Rider University in 2007 with a degree in journalism. There, he earned the Amy Silvers Memorial Award, which praised his achievements in scholarship, leadership, service, growth, and development in relation to personal, physical, and mental resources. In his short journalistic career, Markus has written for Rider News and Able News.