Biddick Academy, Newcastle, Washington UK – Students at the school’s Unity Centre who are on the autism spectrum have produced a safe travel guide especially for children with learning difficulties.
The travel company Nexus hopes that the guide will help young people develop the confidence to use public transport.
Nexus wanted to create a travel safety guide for children with learning difficulties and it is believed to be the first of its kind in the country.
The students helped to design the artwork and the project’s mascot, a tortoise called Terry.
Nexus youth liaison officer, Rebecca Ditchburn, said:
“We talked through a range of issues that young people might find daunting about using public transport. They also came up with the idea of having a mascot to navigate through the pages.”
Gavin Jackson, assistant headteacher at Biddick Academy, said:
“The work with Nexus has been a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about travel safety in a practical way.”
The booklet focuses on issues such as planning ahead, reading a timetable, buying a ticket, and being able to ask for help.
The original article in the Sunderland Echo can be found here