Many transportation options exist for people with disabilities. Fixed route transit systems, paratransit, commuter systems, airplane and trains are more accessible than ever. Ride sharing, such as Uber and Lyft are available in most communities and drivers with disabilities can rent cars and vans with hand controls and wheelchair lifts. UCP is a champion when it comes to advocating for sufficient and accessible transportation that advances the independence and socialization for people with disabilities. Contact your UCP local affiliate for information about transportation options in your area.

The following resources can help ensure safer travel for children and adults with disabilities:

Tips for Parents on Safely Transporting Kids with Special Needs

Wheelchair Transportation Safety: Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs are intended for wheelchair users, parents, practitioners, clinicians and medical personnel, physical and occupational therapists, transit providers, school-bus transportation companies and personnel, transportation systems administrators, and the manufacturers of wheelchairs, wheelchair seating systems, and after-market wheelchair tiedown and occupant restraint systems who are concerned with transportation safety for children and adults who remain seated in their wheelchair when traveling in a motor vehicle.

Other Helpful Resources

The Air Carrier Access Act prohibits discrimination based on disability in air travel and requires that all flights on U.S. airlines, and flights to or from the United States by foreign airlines, accommodate the needs of passengers with disabilities. Each airline has their own policies and procedures so calling ahead can help the travel experience go more smoothly.

New Horizons: Information for the Air Traveler with a Disability

This guide is designed to offer travelers with disabilities a brief but authoritative source of information about the Air Carrier Access rules: the accommodations, facilities, and services that are now required to be available.  It also describes features required by other regulations designed to make air travel more accessible.

Check out the recent guide to airlines’ accommodations for passengers with disabilities from Cheapflights.com.