METRO Program Prepares Students with Disabilities for Life Beyond High School

For many students with disabilities, learning how to get around the city is a big step toward independence. That’s where the METROLift Choices program comes in. Through this initiative, METRO travel trainers partner with high school special education teachers, giving them the tools to confidently train their students to safely ride public transit.  

As part of the program, travel trainers introduce special education teachers to the RideMETRO app, provide a hands-on tour of a METRO bus while highlighting accessibility features, and share information about helpful resources, including METRO’s customer service team and the METRO Police Department. 

Jason Baker, a mobility coordinator at METRO, said training programs like this are important because they give teachers the knowledge and confidence to pass on to their students. 

“Special education teachers have a really difficult job teaching and supporting students with special needs,” Baker explained. “We’re giving them the tools they can use to help their students succeed.”  

After completing the training, teachers reported feeling more confident about teaching their students how to ride METRO and said they had a better understanding of the services and features available. 

For Erik Tealer-Jackson, a special education teacher at Sharpstown High School, the training came at the perfect time. “This is my first year as a life skills educator, and I heard about the session from colleagues,” Tealer-Jackson said. “I have students who need vocational job training, and it’s important for them to build the confidence to get around on their own and go to work on their own. If they feel capable of traveling independently, that confidence will carry over into their work.” 

Debra Iyayi, a special education teacher at Wheatley High School, agreed the program makes a big difference.   

“It’s essential for students to be exposed to the community,” Iyayi  said. They’re only children for a while, and after high school they need independence. If we prepare them now, they’ll be able to go out, take care of themselves, and succeed as adults.” 

Two more METROLift Choices training sessions are scheduled: 

• September 12, 6–8 p.m. 

• October 18, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. 

Both will be held in person at the West Gray Recreation Center, 1475 W. Gray St. 

For more information, call the METROLift Department at 713-750-4234.