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The yellow school bus is recognized as the safest form of transportation for students to get to and from school, but how does the industry ensure that is also the case for the most vulnerable student population?
ransporting students with disabilities and special needs is by no means an uncom- plicated topic, which is why
attendees at the TSD Conference held in Frisco, Texas, in November spent six days immersed in educational train- ing and networking events to discuss tangible solutions to the challenges facing student transporters. One of the most important topics for attendees was learning about providing the least restrictive environment and the safest. Multiple sessions addressed different
areas of wheelchair securement, in- cluding the need for hands-on training, consultation with therapists, collabora- tion with parents and special education personnel, adherence to federal safety requirements, and crash testing analysis that demonstrated the importance of proper equipment usage and secure- ment. Tragedies involving students with special needs while they rode the school bus in a wheelchair have brought to light the deficits in training and com- munication in not only choosing the appropriate equipment for the student but ensuring that transportation staff knows exactly how to use it. Choosing the right wheelchair and
safety systems takes no shortage of time and communication. When the pressure is on to start transporting students as soon as possible, TSD speakers empha- sized the importance of making sure that the student is fully equipped with wheelchairs and any other safety vests, harnesses or other systems required. “The federal law requires that related services are informed on the specifics
of what services are required and who will be administering them, and that information is included on the Individ- ualized Education Program,” explained Miriam Manary, the lead research engineer at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and a TSD advisor. Manary was one of the panelists on the
Occupational Therapy/Physical Thera- py/ Transporter Forum at TSD. The other panelists—Laura Beth Blankenship, Kala Henkensiefken and Sue Shutrump— stressed the importance of involving occupational and physical therapists at the district to choose the right wheel- chair and occupant restraint systems before the student ever gets on the bus. “We have a therapist that does a
screening to determine how the child is planning to get to and from school,” re- layed Blankenship, a physical therapist at Knox County Schools in Tennessee. Manary also led a session at TSD
on wheelchair transportation safety lessons using videos of crash tests to demonstrate the importance of good occupant protection. Some of the top things to consider when choos- ing a wheelchair, Manary listed, were four easy-to-find securement points, compatibility with shoulder and lap belts and qualities of a vehicle seat. Shutrump, the supervisor of OT/PT for Trumbull County Educational Services Center in Ohio and a TSD tenured fac- ulty member, noted that a student can easily slide around on the seat of the wheelchair, which could lead to five- point harnesses or other safety systems’ positions being compromised.
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