Special Needs Transportation

Explore best practices for safely and effectively transporting students with disabilities and special transportation needs. We cover accessibility, wheelchair securement, equipment, training, student behavior, regulations, and specialized transportation services.

Kelli Goterba, the 2026 Special-Needs Driver of the Year, stands with her arms crossed in front of a Trumbull County Board of Developmental Disabilities school bus.

News

Kelli Goterba Named 2026 Special-Needs School Bus Driver of the Year

Through building trust with students and strengthening her transportation team, Goterba exemplifies the impact special-needs drivers can make.

Digital Cover Features

The Most Common Wheelchair Securement Mistakes on School Buses (and How to Fix Them)

A wheelchair user operates a school bus wheelchair lift equipped with BraunAbility’s LiftSentinel barrier system as another person stands nearby with a handheld control.

News

BraunAbility Introduces New Safety Barrier for Wheelchair Lifts

A close up image of a hand holding a phone with HopSkipDrive's platform and CareDriver information on the screen.

News

HopSkipDrive Launches New Safety, Driver Consistency Features for 2026-27 School Year

Articles•February 1, 2001

Using Sight, Sound and Touch to Communicate with Special-Needs Students

As a school bus driver and transportation director, “Never put them on unless you know how to get them off!” became my repeated catchphras...

Articles•by Staff•November 1, 2000

How to select and use child safety restraint systems

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a new brochure offering guidelines for choosing and using child safety restraint systems (CSRS) on school buses.

Articles•September 1, 2000

Driver certification developed for wheelchair transportation

The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services recently issued a position paper that focuses on the importance of driver training in ensuring the safe transportation of children to and from school and school-related activities. ... The paper also includes an important message about drivers of special-needs students.

Articles•August 1, 2000

Safety Restraint Options for Children with Special Needs

In this second of a three-part series, the authors explain how to properly position a child's legs and how to use booster seats and safety vests.

Articles•August 1, 2000

Impact of wheelchair standard from an OT/PT perspective

The ANSI/RESNA standard specifies general design requirements, test procedures and performance requirements for wheelchairs that may be used in a wide range of transportation modes, including school buses, transit buses, over-the-road coaches and personally licensed vehicles.

Articles•April 1, 2000

Violence Prevention Is a Top Concern for Special-Needs Transporters

Transporting Students with Disabilities Conference focuses on violence prediction and prevention, which comes through understanding students' needs, treating them with respect and enforcing rules.

Articles•March 1, 2000

How we developed a special-needs training course

Too often, new school bus drivers and attendants are assigned the task of transporting special-education students without adequate training.

Articles•March 1, 2000

Occupant Restraint for Children with Special Needs: Part 1

In Part 1 of a three-part series, tips on effective restraint of children who need head/trunk support.

Articles•February 1, 2000

Best Practices for Loading and Unloading Wheelchair Students

Although there are exceptions, industry experts say specific lift procedures need to be closely followed. Driver and attendant training is critical, they add.

Articles•February 1, 2000

Help get the word out on transport wheelchairs

Students who use mobility aids such as wheelchairs represent only a small fraction of the approximately 23.5 million children who ride school buses to and from school each day. As such, they could be easily overlooked when it comes to occupant safety.

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