How do we include children with disabilities in the bus/vehicle evacuation drills?
According to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, CFR•300.347, CONTENT OF AN IEP, a statement on how a child “will be educated and participate with other children with disabilities and nondisabled children” and “An explanation of the extent, if any, to which a child will not participate”, will give you the information you’ll need for planning. The IEP will also contain a statement of “related services and supplementary aids and services to be provided to the child.” With this information you should be able to determine if a child will or will not be included in your evacuation drills. If they will, planning will be the key. Input from parents, therapist and transportation coordinators will help you be ready for an emergency and be inclusive of children with disabilities. If the IEP states that a child should not participate, think about using props and/or volunteers to practice evacuations. In the event of a real emergency, transportation staff must be prepared to safely evacua
