ABSTRACT
Transportation is a key component for full integration into the community. Accessible public transportation is necessary to provide persons with disabilities the same opportunities as others: access to employment, education, religious worship, and recreation. In the United States, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (IDEA-97, 1997) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (ADA, 1990) have provided people with disabilities the opportunity for accessing schools and public transportation. The ADA transportation requirements mandate accessible fixed-route vehicles, as well as complementary paratransit services for those unable to use the fixed-route service. Other nations also recognize the importance of accessible transportation. For example, big change in the attitude of the Japanese government regarding transportation accessibility was the initiation of the “Law for Promoting Easily Accessible Public Transportation Infrastructure for the Aged and Disabled (2000 law number 68)” in 2000. As accessible vehicles are not as common as in the United States, the goal of this law by year 2010 is to have 20% accessibility in a total of 600,000 public buses, 30% in a total of 51,000 trains, 40% in a total of 420 aircraft, and 50% of a total of 1100 ships. In the United Kingdom, the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 includes transport provisions that require vehicles to safely accommodate wheelchair users (MDA DB2001 (03), 2001). In addition, advances in technology for adapting vehicles have made personal vehicle transportation available to people with disabilities, either as a passenger or a driver.
