ALBANY, N.Y. — The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) has partnered with Easter Seals Project ACTION to provide training and technical assistance to those who transport individuals with disabilities.  

Project ACTION stands for “Accessible Community Transportation In Our Nation.” It is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration.   

School transportation service providers are among the professionals for which the training and assistance is intended.

NAPT said it will be co-sponsoring web seminars, workshops and online courses, as well as providing other practical information that will help pupil transporters expand accessible transportation for people of all ages with disabilities in their communities.

The association reports that the U.S. is home to more than 54 million people with disabilities, and that secondary transition services are critical to the success of students with disabilities and special transportation needs.

Moreover, travel training is essential for students with disabilities, as it gives them access to personal and professional opportunities in and around their community, according to NAPT.

As SBFreported last year, industry veteran Ted Finlayson-Schueler, president of the nonprofit organization Safety Rules!, wrote a paper called “School Bus Travel Training” that explores accommodations that can be made within school bus service to help special-needs students develop some of the skills needed to successfully transition to riding public transit buses as adults.

The paper provides resources for travel training instruction, including the Easter Seals Project ACTION's Introduction to Travel Training program, which is available to school bus professionals.

To read “School Bus Travel Training” in full, click here.