Accessible Transportation Resources - General

• Project ACTION - Easter Seals has created a comprehensive resource to promote accessible community transportation in the US. Their site ncludes resources for increasing accessibility of trains, train stations, paratransit, motor coaches, etc., databases, forums, publications, etc. Subscribe to their electronic newsletter or attend a training on accessible transportation.
• National Center for Accessible Transportation (NCAT) at Oregon State University and the RERC on Accessible Transportation
• U.S. Dept. of Transportation - resources for persons with disabilities.
• Accessible Pennsylvania - transportation resources in PA

Personally-owned Transportation Vehicles

• The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists - this is the association for professionals who specialize in adaptive driving techniques. They recommend adaptive equipment and train drivers to use it safely. The site contains links to resources related to driving with a disability. Use the directory to find a local certified practitioner.
• American Occupational Therapy Association - resources for consumers and professionals regarding older drivers or who are adapting to an impairment.
• National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) - 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.
• The Adaptive Driving Association - a nationwide group of vehicle modification dealers who provide transportation solutions for disabled drivers and passengers.

Children as passengers

• An overview on Special Needs Car Seats for children who need adaptive seating in a passenger vehicle from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Contains a non-WWW list of manufacturers. that includes the following products:
  • BESI Manufacturing - an adjustable harness that interfaces with seatbelts to aid in sitting in car or bus.
  • Columbia Medical - positioning seats suitable for children 20 to 102 lbs., unable to sit unassisted.
  • EZ-On Vest - for transportation in cars or buses, for children or adults.
  • Snug Seat - car seat for children with positioning needs who weight 20 to 105 lbs. Products include: Traveller plus, Hippo and Car Bed
  • Sammons Preston - look for: Special Tomato for the Car and a Tumbleforms seat called Carrie.
• Car seat ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These ratings include a letter grading system to denote how well the child safety seats perform in five individual categories:
  • Whether the seat is pre-assembled or requires assembly after purchase
  • Clarity of the labeling.
  • Clarity of written instructions regarding the seat’s proper use.
  • Ease of securing a child in the seat.
  • Whether the seat has features that make it easier to install in a vehicle.

Transportation Safety while Seated in a Wheelchair

The safest action when travelling in a van or a car is to transfer to the manufacturer installed passenger or vehicle seat. However, when this cannot be done safely or without high expenditure of energy...

• Use a WC19 Wheelchair
• Read the The RideSafe Brochure to learn the steps to:
  • Select the best location on a wheelchair frame to attach securement straps in a non-WC19 compliant wheelchair
  • Use crash tested 4 point wheelchair securement straps or a crash tested docking system to properly secure a wheelchair to the vehicle floor
  • Secure the individual in their wheelchair with a properly adjusted, crash-tested 3 point wheelchair occupant restraint
• Learn more by reading through the Frequently Asked Questions
• Watch crash-test movies to see wheelchair transportation safety in action

Public Transportation Vehicles

The Americans with Disabilites Act (The ADA)

• ADAAG for Public 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 Department of Justice and the ADA home page
  • Be sure to look for the ADA Technical Assistance Programs. The US is broken into regions which provide information, training, and technical assistance to businesses and agencies with duties and responsibilities under the ADA.
  • The ADA Information Line - an 800 phone number.

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.
• The annual Transporting Students with Disabilities Conference
• The National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT)

Buses, Light Rail and Trains

• Project ACTION - a national accessible travel database sponsored by Easter Seal.
• Community Transportation Association - Passengers with Disabilities
  • Community Navigators
• Final Rule: Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities - Over-the-Road Buses.

Paratransit

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Paratransit Eligibility Manual
• The Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association
• The National Paratransit Directory

Airplanes

• Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Accessible Transportation
• New Horizons: Information for Air Traveler with Disability - from the Department of Transportation.
• Access for People with Disabilities to Airport Facilities - from the FAA.
• Guidelines for Aircraft Boarding Chair - from the National Transportation Library.

Standards, Data and Statistics

• Link to the Standards section within this RERC website. See this section for an overview of the standards for wheelchair tiedown and occupant restraints (WTORS), wheelchairs and seating systems.
• The RESNA Technical Standards Board - this board is designated as responsible for setting and updating standards related to wheelchairs and other forms of assistive technology. These standards are referred to as ANSI/RESNA Standards (American National Standards Institute / Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America).
• Society of Automotive Engineers - The Society of Automotive Engineers is a 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.
• International Standards Organization - This is the international standards setting organization. Most national standards setting organizations attempt to harmonize with ISO standards to facilitate exchange of products across borders. There are several working groups that are focused on wheelchairs and wheelchair transportation safety standards that meet several times per year to advance their work.
• US Department of Transportation - Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) - Transportation Safety Institute - use the search words "wheelchair transportation" to find relevant articles and resources.
• 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.
  • NHTSA Research and Development
• Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities (U.S Department of Transportation)
• Transportation Vehicle Guidelines (U.S. Access Board, also known as the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board)
• Transportation Research Board - use the site search with the word "wheelchair."
• The National Transportation Library
• National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS)
• Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN)
• Center for Transportation Injury Research

Transportation Safety Technology Products

• Link to WC19 compliant wheelchairs
• Link to crash-tested wheelchair seating systems
• Wheelchair Tiedown and Occupant Restraint Systems (WTORS) manufacturers
  • Creative Controls Inc. - wheelchair securement
  • EZ Lock - a crash tested docking system with mating hardware for most wheelchair models.
  • Q'Straint - crash tested, 4 point strap-type wheelchair securement and 3 point wheelchair occupant restraints. Check out their training videos, too!
  • Sure-Lok - crash tested, 4 point strap-type wheelchair securement and 3 point wheelchair occupant restraints. Check out their training videos, too!
  • Ortho Safe Systems International - wheelchair securement and occupant restraint systems.
  • Permalock - the ISO compliant docking system designed by Permobil for Permobil C400 and C500 power wheelchairs.

Miscellaneous

• Driving Safety Pamphlet - information on safety travel and etiquette tips for pedestrians on wheels.
• Training programs and products for transportation providers - these links are assembled on this site, within the WC19 section on the transporter's resource page.

Last updated: November 13, 2007