Staff Advocacy Leads to Accessible School Transportation

Jadzia is a young student with various disabilities facing obstacles in getting accessible and consistent transportation to and from school. Jadzia’s family had previously advocated for the school district to provide specialized door-to-door transportation in the form of a van with an aide to accommodate her medical needs. However, the van often arrived without an aide and sometimes over an hour late. Eventually, the school’s transportation department informed Jadzia’s family that she would have to switch back to bus transportation for a short time due to staffing shortages. This plan was inaccessible for Jadzia because she lives in a gated community. Since neither the HOA nor the school wanted to be liable for any bus-related damages to the neighborhood, the bus cannot pick her up at her door as previously determined. This forced Jadzia to get picked up by the bus outside her neighborhood. Despite being told that this arrangement would only be temporary, it continued beyond a few weeks, and her family did not receive a response from the transportation department. That’s when Jadzia’s family called on our staff to assist them. After working with Jadzia’s family and the school district, we secured a private door-to-door transportation service for Jadzia during the school year and extended school year (ESY) and successfully arranged transportation reimbursements for her family. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a bus driver shortage that has had significant repercussions for students with disabilities who may need shorter bus rides, aids on longer rides, and other accommodations. We’re glad that Jadzia can now get to school safely.