For years, Jean Zimmerman has provided training to special needs transporters nationwide and has authored articles and book on related topics. Today, she is the eighth person in the United States to complete the NAPT Special Needs Transportation Training Program.

The supervisor of Occupational and Physical Therapy for the School District of Palm Beach County in West Palm Beach, Fla., is a certified passenger safety technician and was an original member of the NHTSA revision committee to develop child safety restraint system curriculum specifically for school buses. Most recently she also served on three writing committees for the 2010 National Congress on School Transportation and authored "Evacuating Students With Disabilities," a comprehensive manual and training course developed along with the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute.

Zimmerman will be on hand in Reno, Nev., this summer at the STN EXPO to co-teach the NHTSA-approved Child Passenger Safety on School Buses pre-conference seminar. Attendees who complete the course are eligible to receive six CEUs.

The NAPT Special Needs Transportation Training Program provides numerous opportunities for transportation personnel serving students with disabilities to access educational opportunities at both local and national conferences and to gain national recognition for their efforts.

The core curriculum consists of six special needs courses in a variety of settings, including a school bus roadeo and a trade show of school transportation products and services. The core curriculum is supplemented by two courses of elective instruction from the NAPT Professional Development Series Program. NAPT said the syllabus for the core curriculum has been specifically designed to increase an individual’s specific knowledge about transporting students with disabilities.