Transportation

Driving a car is an important part of everyday life, especially if you live in the suburbs or in a rural location. For this reason, using a motor vehicle, whether it is as the driver or a passenger in the family car or van continues to be important when using a wheelchair. Urban residents and those with jobs and interests in cities are often big supporters of public transportation. Public transportation --whether fixed route or paratransit-- is a means of transportation for many people who use wheelchairs. Knowing more about transportation policy and the law regarding accessible public transportation can help citizens advocate for the needs of all passengers!

Here are some resources that will help you find adaptive driving resources, expertise and equipment. There are also some links that connect to information about the laws that regulate access to public transportation. There are also some information about passenger safety standards that are designed to protect wheelchairs used as seats in motor vehicles!

• Accessible Transportation Resources
  • Project Action
  • RERC on Wheelchair Transportation Safety - a federally-funded project on safety for passengers seated in wheelchairs in motor vehicles. The site outlines research projects, provides relevant statistics and answers frequently asked questions.
  • WC-19: Your Ticket to Ride - info on transit wheelchairs and safety standards
• Private Transportation Vehicles
  • Adaptive Driving
  • Van Conversions, Adaptive Driving Equipment, Lifts and Other Products
  • Automobile Safety
  • Transportation Safety while Seated in a Wheelchair
• Public Transportation Vehicles
  • Public Transportation and the ADA
  • School Buses
  • Buses, Light Rail and Trains
  • Paratransit
  • Airplanes
• The Transportation Research Board
  • Transportation Research Board
• Safety
  • AOTA - information about driving for professionals, consumers, and caregivers.
  • BHTA - go to this site in Britain and click on "BHTA Customer Care" to read two articles: "Get Wheelchair Wise", a highway code for wheelchair and scooter users and "New Code for the Road", a guide for wheelchair users who use public transportation.
  • Driving Safety Pamphlet - information on safety travel and etiquette tips for pedestrians on wheels.
  • Getting around on an Electric Scooter - written by the Vancouver Safety Council Electric Wheelchair and Scooter Safety Steering Committee and illustrated by John Mythen.
  • New Developments in Safer Transportation for Wheelchair Users - search for this "archived article" by Dr. Larry Schneider on the website of the Exceptional Parent Magazine. You will need to pay a small fee to get a reprint of the article.
• Wheelchair Standards Homepage
• Link to Transportation Discussion
• Link to accessible van rentals located in the Travel Section of WheelchairNet.
• Link to Transporting children who use wheelchairs
• Link to accessible transportation products

Accessible Transportation Resources

• Project Action - Easter Seals effort to create a comprehensive resource to promote accessible community transportation in the USA. Includes resources for increasing accessibility of trains, train stations, paratransit, motor coaches, etc. Databases, forums, publications, etc.
• U.S. Dept. of Transportation - resources for persons with disabilities.
• Accessible Pennsylvania - transportation resources in PA

Private Transportation Vehicles

Adaptive Driving

• The Adaptive Driving Association - a nationwide group of vehicle modification dealers who provide transportation solutions for disabled drivers and passengers.
• The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists - this site has a directory of professionals who have an interest or certification in adaptive driving and links to many other resources related to driving with a disability.
• Wheelchair Users Injuries and Deaths Associated with Motor Vehicle Related Incidents - this report is available from this site in PDF format.
• Accessible Gas Pump Project in Maryland - find a participating station near you! Can you get a project like this started in your state?

Van Conversions, Adaptive Driving Equipment, Wheelchair and Scooter Lifts, etc.

• The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists - the association of driver rehabilitation professionals who can assist with driving and equipment selection and training. Also scroll down to the link: "Vendor Members of ADED."
• National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association - the professional association for dealers that sell vehicles modified for the needs of persons with disabilities. NMEDA offers help to consumers in identifying their needs and offers professional standards, training, and complaint resolution for their member dealers.
• Links to products to enable accessible and safe transportation when using a wheelchair.

Automobile Safety

• Society of Automotive Engineers - The Society of Automotive Engineers is your one-stop resource for technical information and expertise used in designing, building, maintaining, and operating self-propelled vehicles for use on land or sea, in air or space.
• National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is responsible for reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. They set and enforce safety performance standards, investigate safety defects in motor vehicles, set and enforce fuel economy standards, help reduce the threat of drunk drivers, promote the use of safety belts, child safety seats and air bags, investigate odometer fraud, establish and enforce vehicle anti-theft regulations and provide consumer information on motor vehicle safety topics. Check out their resource entitled: Adaptive Equipment & Vehicles Modified for Persons with Disabilities.
  • NHTSA also conducts research on driver behavior and traffic safety , to develop the most efficient and effective means of bringing about safety improvements. Complete their questionnaire on Automotive Safety Issues for Persons with Disabilities.

Transportation Safety while Seated in a Wheelchair

• This topic is a primary focus of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Wheelchair Transportation Safety. See their informative website for lots of resources on this topic including a new brochure called "Ride Safe."
• Guidelines for Safely Transporting Wheelchair Users - Mary-Ann Snell OT(C) reprinted with permission from the American Occupational Therapy Association. It originally appeared in OT Practice June 1999.
• New WC-19 Standards Passed! Read the press release and find out what this means for you!
• Estimating the Number of Vehicles Adapted for Use by Persons with Disabilities.
• Requirements for safe wheelchair tie-down when using a wheelchair as a passenger seat. See the slide lectures on transportation safety at Wheelchair University.
• White Buffalo Press - parental guidelines for receiving special needs transportation.

Public Transportation Vehicles

Public Transportation and the ADA

• ADAAG for Transportation Vehicles
  • Accessibility Standards for public transportation vehicles - The US Access Board.
• The US Department of Transportation and ADA Accessibility
• The Americans with Disabilities Act Document Center
• The ADA Information Line - an 800 phone number.
• The Department of Justice - ADA Home page.
• ADA Technical Assistance Programs - Regional Centers which provide information, training, and technical assistance to businesses and agencies with duties and responsibilities under the ADA.
• Fighting and Winning and The Disabled Commuter's Handbook - an example of what's possible from Hartford, CT.

School Buses

• Guidelines for Safely Transporting Wheelchair Users - Mary-Ann Snell OT(C) reprinted with permission from the American Occupational Therapy Association. It originally appeared in OT Practice June 1999.
• School Transportation News - a comprehensive website on school transportation with a section on special needs.
• White Buffalo Press - website on school bus special education transportation issue by Dr. Ray Turner.

Buses, Light Rail and Trains

• The ADA and the Department of Transportation
• Project Action - a national accessible travel database sponsored by Easter Seal.
• Final Rule: Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities - Over-the-Road Buses.
• Accessible Ride-On Buses - Montgomery County Maryland.

Paratransit

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Paratransit Eligibility Manual - Draft

How other communities do it! Some paratransit projects from around the country:

• Blacksburg, VA
• Bremmerton, WA - click on ACCESS
• Louisville, KY - click on accessible services
• Oahu, HI
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Philadelphia, PA
• Providence, RI - click on Transit Programs.
• Santa Clara, CA
• San Francisco Bay Area, CA
• Spokane, WA - click on "Bus Basics" then accessible routes or paratransit.
• Tucson, AZ - check out their "secure loop system" for securement.

Airplanes

• New Horizons: Information for Air Traveler with Disability - from the Department of Transportation.
• Access for People with Disabilities to Airport Facilities - from the FAA.
  • Contains links to Continental, United and US Airways Airlines
• Guidelines for Aircraft Boarding Chair - from the National Transportation Library.
• Resources for the Air Traveler with a Disability - from the US Department of Transportation.

Transportation Research

Transportation Research Board

• Transportation Research Board Homepage
• Transportation Library

Standards Homepage

• Standards Development Homepage
  • International Standards Organization (ISO)
  • ANSI/RESNA Standards (American National Standards Institute / Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America).

Last Updated: 3-2-2006