A team of researchers at the University of Louisville and the University of Pittsburgh are looking to the school bus industry for information regarding the real-world use of wheelchairs as seats on school buses.

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Wheelchair Transportation Safety online survey is anonymous and the researchers said they hope to use the information gathered to improve transportation safety of wheelchair-seated students by identifying needs for improved safety technologies, standards and training.

The RERC team said the survey is easy to use, should only take 15 minutes to complete and will be open until the end of April. The project is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).

RERC first conducted a focus group with NASDPTS members concerning how WC19-compliant wheelchairs are used in states. It found that 83 percent of the 29 states reporting indicated that they are aware of the voluntary safety standard to use the wheelchairs that are designed as transportation seats. But 68 percent reported that state policies do not address the specific type of wheelchairs used in school buses, and 73 percent said there was no state program or effort to educate parents on the potential advantages of using a WC19-compliant wheelchair.

Regarding adoption of the equipment in the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures document, only 24 percent of responding states said they had adopted all provisions.

For more information on the survey, contact Mary Ellen Buning by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone, (502) 407-3272.