Transporters: Public, private & paratransit agencies & school districts
Sections on this page:
- What is the current wheelchair transportation safety standard?
- Ride Safe brochure
- Information Resources for Transporters
- Future Trends: Wheelchair Securement in Large Transit Vehicles
- Successfully Crash-tested Wheelchairs
- Sucessfully Crash-tested WTORS
What is the Current Wheelchair Transportation Standard?
- Get the overview on wheelchairs and transportation on this website with links to information about the current status of WC18, 19 and 20 and the upcoming ANSI/RESNA Volume IV: Wheelchairs and Transportation.
- Read the press release for the announcement of acceptance of the WC19 standard by ANSI (American National Standards Institute) in June 2000. The press release describes the standard and provides an overview of its scope.
- The WC19 standard is available for purchase for $100.00 from RESNA's Technical Standards Board.
- WC19 harmonizes in large part with the ISO standard (International Standards Organization), ISO 7176-19 on transit safe wheelchairs. You can learn more about the ISO-WG6 taskgroup which developed the international standard for wheelchair transportation safety on the Standards section of this website. To the extent possible American and International standards are identical, however, in this instance there are some differences. The ISO 7176-19 standard can be purchased in the ISO store at: http://www.iso.org/
- How to participate in ongoing standards development or standards modification: Contact Dr. Larry Schneider at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
- Travelsafer.org is a website focused on ensuring passenger safety when seated in a wheelchair. It contains a brochure called "Ride Safe" that has been recently update with a clear message and illustrations.
- Read step-by-step directions for insuring a safe ride when seated in a wheelchair.
- This Ride Safe brochure can be downloaded in PDF format brochure so it can be downloaded and printed on a color printer for distribution to others. You will need to use Acrobat Reader to get this brochure.
- Printed copies of this brochure can also be requested from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute by telephone at 734-764-2171 or by e-mail: umtridocs@umich.edu
Information Resources
Public and Community Transportation
- 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
- SAFTEA-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 untiol 2009 - See the SAFETEA-LU resource pages at the APTA.
- 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
- NHTSA: School Bus Safety
- School Transportation News: Special Needs
- National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation
- National School Transportation Association
- National Association for Pupil Transportation
- National Congress on School Transportation
- Pupil Transportation Safety Institute
- Safe Ride News
- School Bus Information Council
- Transporting Students with Disabilities & Preschoolers Conference
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.
- 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
Link to an up-to-date listing of successfully crash-tested wheelchairs and seating systems 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.
Crash-Tested Wheelchair Tiedowns & Occupant Restraints
Note: When communicating with manufacturers who are not on this list, be sure to ask if their products comply with the SAE J2249 Standard for Wheelchair Tiedown and Occupant Restraints (WTORS)Wheelchair Tiedowns and Docks
- Creative Controls - wheelchair securement
- EZ Lock - wheelchair securement for private vehicles
- Ortho Safe Systems International - wheelchair securement
- Permolock - for use with Permobil Chairman 400 and 500 power chairs
Wheelchair Occupant Restraints
Have questions about WC19? Contact us by e-mail at ruffing@pitt.edu
Last Updated: March 18, 2008
Acknowledgement:
Department of Education, Washington DC
This Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Wheelchair Transportation Safety
is funded by NIDRR grant #H133E060064