Special needs transportation veteran Linda Bluth traces her history in the industry, and the major steps the United States has taken in realizing the importance of busing disabled students

By Linda F. Bluth, Ed.D.

Each of us has a marvelous tale to tell about how we arrived in the field of school bus transportation. Over the years, I have heard many wonderful stories from my peers at airports and at state and national meetings. Just yesterday, one of my staff members asked, "Bluth, what is this fascination you have with the yellow buses? How did it get started, and what could be so interesting?"

And with that question, I told my story, after first insisting that a recent snapshot from the 25th Anniversary Trade Show of the National Association of Pupil Transportation be viewed. For me, this passion for "big yellow" started in the winter of 1966, my first year as a special education teacher in New York.

One morning, an adored student who had perfect attendance did not show up for school. I called her mother at the end of the day to check on her. At that time, I learned that she had been removed from the school bus for an indefinite amount of time because she had wet herself. Her mother was a hard working single mother; her father had died in Vietnam just a few years before. When my student and I spoke, the first thing I asked was how this accident occurred. She shared nervously that I had forgotten to tell everyone to use the bathroom before they got on the bus.

This was, in fact, a daily routine because common sense told me that it was the end of the day, several hours after lunch, and many students had long rides home. This particular student's mother left for work before the school bus arrived daily. I passed her home on the way to school so, for a period of time, I picked the child up in the morning, and her mother was able to come for her in the afternoon. After all, it was clear-cut to me that it was my fault that she was removed from the bus. I felt the need to accept responsibility.

After a few days, I marched myself down to the principal's office, demanding that my student be reinstated on the school bus, explaining that her accident was my fault. Need I elaborate about the cooperation I received! Next I called the transportation office to be growled at. At the ripe age of 23 with a master's degree in hand, I began my campaign, or as others saw it, my vengeance (or passion depending on one's perspective) for the rights of students with disabilities as they applied to transportation services. As I remember, it took several months after this incident for my student to be reinstated on the school bus. Little did I know at the time that I would be hooked and committed to transportation issues for the next 34 years. The first issues I became involved in centered around accessibility to transportation.

Industry Change
The last three decades of this past century have seen remarkable expansion in transporting practices for students with disabilities. After all, who would permanently remove any child today for a wetting accident with or without a disability?

For me, the earliest challenges were in the areas of accessibility, adequate training for transportation personnel and equipment limitations impacting safety. Within a decade of my first encounter with transportation issues, in 1975, Public Law 94-142 was passed and provided an entitlement to transportation services for students with disabilities. An era of new demands and revised thinking was kicked off. All over the nation, I was hearing from people who wanted to do what was right but did not know how and where to go for information.

My first hero was Lyle Stephens, a transportation contractor from Michigan with an exemplary commitment to students with disabilities. He would stop at nothing in order to do what was best for students with disabilities. His pursuit of an access to needed services, with an emphasis on safety, pushed me further and further.

In the 70s, more people were actively involved in necessary modifications, with respect to transporting students with disabilities. By 1980, things were happening at a rapid rate. I can still feel the enthusiasm as more individuals in the field expressed a genuine interest in learning about students with disabilities and promising transportation practices. I was beginning to meet state directors of transportation from all over the nation with an interest in improved in-service training and equipment challenges. During this decade, there was an active pursuit of how to best incorporate children with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities on the school bus. Each year, trade shows offered more products to assist students with disabilities.

The 90s saw tremendous growth in knowledge and commitment regarding challenges in transporting infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with challenging disability conditions. A major turning point for the field was the effort of Roseann Schwaderer with the first National Conference on Transporting Students with Disabilities held in Dallas in 1992. This annual event is a home place for transportation and related services personnel.

In 1995, the first chapter of Transporting Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers was adopted by the 12th National Conference on School Transportation.

The last decade of the century has also been a time for growth, including the emergence of a talented diverse group of experts in areas related to all aspects of transportation. Producers of special needs equipment have expressed a greater interest in meeting service delivery challenges. In February 1999, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration clearly demonstrated their commitment to young children with special needs by issuing the Guideline for the Safe Transportation of Pre-school Age Children in School Buses.

It is a thrill to move into the next century with multiple local, state and national efforts demonstrating a commitment to continue best practices in transporting our most vulnerable population of children.

Just think, if it weren't for a special student in 1966, I may have never had the opportunity to be a part of the big yellow movement for students with disabilities.

A special thanks for Peggy Burns for her encouragement to tell my story.

Editor's note: Readers are encouraged to send an e-mail to Dr. Bluth relating their own history of how they became involved in pupil transportation. Bluth is working on an article, or articles, in which she plans to tell some of these stories. So if you send an article, be apprised that it may appear in print or on the Internet.

Linda Bluth is the chief of the Community and Interagency Services Branch at the Maryland State Department of Education. She is a regular contributor to STN and can be reached at 410/767-0264.

Source: Reprinted from School Transportation News, February 1999. All rights reserved.