Access Board - implements the Americans with Disabilities Act in regards to public transportation.
Department of Transportation
• Federal Transit Administration - civil rights and transportation
• National Highway Transportation Safety Administration - search on "wheelchair transportation."
• American Public Transit Association - the trade association for public transportation providers.
  • The Access Committee of the Board of Directors
  • SAFETEA-LU (The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users is a transportation initiative signed into law on August 10, 2005 and will be in effect until 2009 - See the SAFETEA-LUresource pages at the APTA.
  • The Transit Cooperative Research Program - The APTA partners with other organizations to offer research and reports that cover many aspects of public transportation. The collection includes: original research, new data collection, and analysis of solutions for existing problems. Reports are in the form of handbooks, design manuals, analysis tools and some contain spread sheets and check lists so they are ready to be useful tools for the transportation industry. Look for resources in print, on CD, or on the web in PDF format.
• Community Transit Association
  • Check their resource section on "Passengers with Disabilities"
• Easter Seals Project Action - Mission: Accessible Community Transportation for our Nation
  • Check their Transportation Operators Guide - (66K .pdf document) a resource produced by
• National Center for Accessible Transportation at Oregon State
• Transportation Research Board - a division of the National Research Council, an advisor to the Federal Government
• Paratransit Fact Sheet - at the Amputee Coalition of America
• Accessible Rural Transportation - at the Assn for Rural Independent Living

School Transportation

Videos and Training Materials

• Community Transit Association
  • PASS (Passenger Safety and Service) - a 3-day Driver Certification Program to ensure that drivers have current expertise in passenger assistance techniques and sensitivity skills appropriate for serving persons with disabilities.
• Federal Transit Administration - provides funds for training of bus and paratransit driver. See the Course Listing for descriptions, fees, etc.
• NHTSA: Transporting Students with Special Needs - a training module.
• National Safety Council - Transporting Passengers with Special Needs: A Coaching Program (TM) -- Instructor Kit
• Project Action - a coordinated source of information on conferences, training, and technical assistance sponsored by Easter Seals. Locate frequently asked questions, transit databases and free publications on their website.
• Q'Straint - offers downloadable training materials and the option for customizable training from their national training staff. Q'Straint manufactures wheelchair securement & occupant restraint systems.
• See a training video for AMF Bruns of America's wheelchair securement and occupant restraint system (WTORS) product line here.
• Sure-Lok - Watch their training video online and then order it along with their training package to train your drivers and transportation staff. Safe and Secure Video Training Course - a video training format for drivers
• University of Wisconsin Milwaukee - School of Continuing Education course entitled: Passenger Assistance: Certification For Trainers. This course is for drivers, trainers and managers who are transporting individuals with disabilities.
• Educational Resources developed by the RERC on Wheelchair Transportation Safety.

Helpful Documents

• School Transportation Safety Checklist - a document reprinted with permission from Trumbull County School District.
• New! Guidelines for Use of Secondary Postural Support Devices by Wheelchair Users During Travel in Motor Vehicles - learn about best practices for chest harnesses, head rests, lateral supports, etc. (450MB PDF)
• Transporting Students with Special Healthcare Needs (A journal article from the American Academy of Pediatrics).
• Transporting Children in Wheelchairs (An article from Exceptional Parent Magazine)
• Wheelchair Rider Risk in Motor Vehicles (A journal article from the VA Journal of Research & Development.
• Frequently Asked Questions about Wheelchair Transportation Safety.
• Automotive Safety Issues for Individuals with Disability - a resource at NHTSA.
• The Summary Documents from the State of the Science Conference on Wheelchair Transportation Safety

Future Trends: Wheelchair Securement in Large Transit Vehicles

• View a series of Slide Lectures that have been presented at various conferences such as NRRTS, RESNA, and the International Seating Symposium that contains information about:

• Rearward Facing Systems - standards are in development for this system that will allow for independent maneuvering into a rear-facing compartment that will eliminate the need for wheelchair tiedown systems.

• Automated Docking Systems - a standard has been developed for the geometry of this type of system. The standard will allow wheelchair manufacturers to build a universal bracket into wheelchairs that will allow the use of automated, independently operated, wheelchair docks.

Successfully Crash-Tested Wheelchairs, Seating Systems, and WTORS

Link to an up-to-date listing of all successfully crash-tested products along with links to the manufacturer’s homepage and the internal contact person for transportation standards. New models are always being added to this frequently updated page.