Jesse has places to go. And now, he has a way to get there.

A student at Kellogg Community College, the 23-year-old Pennfield High School graduate is taking business management classes, working on campus in the financial aid department, and is eager to contribute to Battle Creek’s economic development.

Until a few months ago, Jesse was forced to rely on his parents or others to get him to and from class and work. He has autism and doesn’t drive, though learning how is part of his plan for the future. When his family moved from the outskirts of Battle Creek into the city, public transportation became available to him, but he wasn’t ready to try it on his own.

“I was so timid because of my anxiety,” he said.

Jesse connected with Disability Network Southwest Michigan, a United Way funded partner. He met with Independent Living Specialist Mary Fortney to learn what options he had for transportation. She helped him learn about and register for the door-to-door tele-transit system, and when he gained confidence with that, they moved on to the fixed-bus system.

“She was so patient with me,” Jesse said. “She taught me how to do tele-transit, and she sat next to me on my first bus ride to college.”

With his new knowledge and pre-paid bus passes provided by Disability Network, Jesse learned the system quickly. Within a week, he was using the bus to get to and from school and work, as well as downtown. Now, he’s able to focus on his future without worrying about how he’ll get there.

“I have so much more freedom and liberty now that I can ride the bus,” he said. “I would say that it was the most important thing I could have done in my life. It opened up new possibilities that I couldn’t have considered even a year ago.”

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Disability Network is a United Way partner under our Basic Needs Impact area. Learn more about our basic needs work and see full list of partners, and visit www.dnswm.org to learn more about Disability Network.