In the latest free webinar from School Transportation News, sponsor Q’Straint and Sure-Lok presented “Securing Mobility Devices,” a topic that focused on the importance of properly securing students who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices.
Darren Reaume, the national training manager for Q’Straint and Sure-Lok, led the presentation by reviewing the basics of mobility securement principals. He then discussed how to trouble-shoot challenging transportation scenarios that student transporters can encounter when attempting to achieve those principles.
“I think its first worth taking a step back to review some of the history of school transportation and how we got to this point,” said Reaume as he began the March 30 presentation.
Highlighting the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) of 1975, which guaranteed the right to free and appropriate education for all children, Reaume said the passing of both pieces of federal legislation “put school transportation providers really on the forefront of figuring out how we’re going to get wheelchair passengers to and from school every day.”
Although wheelchair securement practices have advanced since the early days of bus aides and monitors manually hold the wheelchairs during a route or using bungee cords to tie down the chairs, securing the mobility devices often remain a challenge, especially with the introduction of larger and heavier power wheelchairs.
“In the last 10 to 15 years it’s become pretty clear that the problem of securing mobility devices, especially some large power chairs, are really getting worse than getting better,” said Reaume.
The mobility devices are rarely designed to be transported and have increased in size and have become increasingly difficult to be properly secured on a bus, he explained.
Because of the options available, Reaume said he was unable to recommend a particular wheelchair that is considered safe to transport, or a universal rule for all chair securement. Instead, he advised attendees to refer to WC19-compliant wheelchairs that are crashed-tested for use in vehicles and WC18-compliant securement products. He also provided additional guidelines for the nearly 400 attendees from school districts, transit agencies and para-transit providers from across the country who tuned in.
“The first (rule) in securing the chair is to make sure you put the retractors and securements in the right place on the floor,” he advised.
In discussing the three main principles to follow, Reaume said the first thing to look for when securing a mobility device is a solid, welded frame member. Although there is no specific section of the wheelchair that is recommended for securement, since most aren’t intended to be transported, he said it ultimately comes down to educated guess on the part of the transporter to identify a stable section of frame that won’t come apart during the vehicle’s operation.
The next point he made is to adjust the correct angle for securing the wheelchair to the bus floor. For the front of the chair, the securement is recommended at a 40- to 60-degree angle, and as close as possible to 45 degrees for the rear.
The third point was focused towards using a direct path to the attachment point of the chair. Looping securements through the wheels and around frame members, for example, is never recommended.
Checking for movement of the wheelchair once it is secured, or conducting a “push, pull” test that rocks the wheelchair, is highly recommended to make sure the chair will remain in place during the time of transport.
If none of these steps are implemented properly, Reaume said occupants are susceptible to serious injuries and trauma. And if the students are nonverbal, bus drivers and attendants likely won’t be alerted of any issues until it’s too late.
Reaume also recommended that student transporters ensure they are involved at student’s Individual Education Program or IEP meetings so they make special educators and parents aware of the mandated regulation changes for wheelchair transportation.
“You really are responsible for meeting the new safety standards,” said Reaume.
