expert witnesses
*Enter State Names or Abbreviations. Use space to separate multiple states e.g. CA Washington NY
Disability - Accessibility - ADA Expert Witnesses: 12
Psychoeducational Expert Steve Imber
Dr. Steve C. Imber
Ph.D.
Sprout Building
166 Valley Street
Providence RI
02909
USA
phone: 401-421-4004
fax: 401-233-0946

A Special Education expert for five decades, Dr. Steven C. Imber served as a professor of special education from 1973 2021. He serves as a special education advocate, consultant to attorneys, parents and schools. He has conducted more than 600 independent educational evaluations.
Education:
- B.S. Psychology (High Honors) State University of New York at Buffalo
- Doctoral Studies, Clinical Psychology, University of Connecticut
- M.A. from the Department of Educational Psychology (Special Education - Learning Disabilities), University of Connecticut (Kappa Delta Phi)
- Ph.D. from the Department of Educational Psychology (Special Education -Emotional Disturbance (High Honors)
As a special education expert, Dr. Imber has worked on cases with children, adolescents and adults with a broad array of disabilities. He provides professional advocacy and consultation for children with the following disabilities:
- Autism Disorders
- Attention Deficit Disorders
- Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Intellectual Disabilities (Cognitive Deficits)
- Learning Disabilities
- Other Disabilities and Disorders
Areas of Expertise:
- Criminal Defense of Individuals with Disabilities – competence to stand trial and comprehension of Miranda Warning Rights
- Family Custody Matters involving Disputes regarding matters of Education and Special Education
- School Safety
- Special Education Regulations and Law
- Wrongful Death
Dr. Imber has been involved in cases from the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.
Depositions and Direct Testimony
Dr. Imber has testified in federal court, various district courts, superior court, family and probate court and in numerous due process hearings since 1975.
Below are listed recent cases in which Dr. Imber provided testimony during depositions or directly in various court matters:
- October 21, 2021, Family Court: State of Hawaii, Plaintiff
- October 19, 2021, Hancock County Circuit Court, West Virginia Criminal Action, Defendant
- September 29, 2021, Chicago Public Schools Cook County, Defendant
- July 6, 2021, Worcester County Probate and Family Court, Plaintiff
- August 10, 2021, Springfield District Court, Defendant
- May – June 2019, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Division of Administrative Law Appeals, Bureau of Special Education Appeals BSEA, Plaintiff
Additional Accomplishments
- Published several articles in national and international journals within the fields of special education and psychology
- Presented at several local, state, regional, national and international conferences and meetings
Rhode Island Office Sprout Building 166 Valley Street Providence, RI 02909 Telephone: 401-421-4004 | New York Office 61-43 186th Street Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 Telephone: 516-273-1961 |
Dr. Imber's CV is available upon request.
Construction Expert Witness Michael Panish
Michael Panish
Construction, Door, Gate Expert Witness & Consultant
PO Box 725
Woodland Hills, CA 91365
---------- Available ----------
ALL STATES
USA, International, CAN
phone: 888-902-4272
fax: 818-888-7302

Mike Panish is an expert witness & consultant for most construction trades, specializing in automatic door systems and door sensors, door, door hardware, cabinetry, and architectural millwork. Extensive experience working for plaintiff & defense (Federal & State). Highly credible & solid testimony. Licensed in CA as a General Building Contractor, Electrical Contractor, Door, Lock & Security Equipment Contractor, Cabinet & Millwork Contractor, and Painting & Finish Specialties Contractor. Over 40 years hands-on experience in all construction trades with over 2000 cases since the year 2000. Local to CA & New England. Nationwide Inspection & Testimony in every state and internationally.
Mike Panish is the most retained and the leading expert witness for Automatic Door injuries / Wrongful Death and Door Defects and Injuries. Security issues relating to daycare & healthcare centers. Construction defects, product liability, poor workmanship relating to contractor vs homeowner disputes and contractor fraud.
Areas of Expertise:
- Automatic Door Personal Injury, Wrongful Death Cases
- Door and Door Hardware Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Defects Cases
- Gates (all types including sliding, parking arm gates)
- Cabinetry, Architectural Millwork, Furniture Personal injury, Defects Cases
- Slip, Trip, Fall / Railings / ADA Personal Injury Cases
- General Construction (all trades) Defects Cases, Personal Injury Cases, Wrongful Death
- Premises Liability, Premises Security for Criminal Cases, Elder Abuse Cases, Wrongful Death
- Building Inspections (all types), Site Evaluation, Product Evaluation, Defect Analysis, Poor Workmanship, Costs & Estimates, Plans Analysis, Proper Installation, Claim Analysis
Architect Expert Randall Atlas
Dr. Randy Atlas, FAIA, CPP
President
333 Las Olas Way Suite 1605
Ft. Lauderdale FL
33301
USA
phone: (305) 332-6588
Dr. Randy Atlas AIA , CPP is a Registered Architect, NCARB certified, and he practices Criminal Justice Architecture and Environmental Security Design. Atlas is a certified protection professional (CPP) with the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS), and is an appointed member of the ASIS Security Architecture and Engineering Committee. Atlas has his doctorate in criminology and a masters of architecture. Dr Atlas is a Fellow member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Dr. Atlas has taught CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) and criminal justice courses at Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Miami, Keiser University, and he is a trainer with the National Crime Prevention Institute at the University of Louisville. Dr. Atlas has been a technical Assistance consultant with the National Institute of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, and the Florida Department of Corrections and U.S. HUD Drug Elimination CPTED Program.
He has conducted ADA accessibility compliance audits for private and public sector clients, and served as an expert witness on over 200 premises liability lawsuits.
Dr. Atlas has been a speaker and trainer at security conferences from New Delhi, India to Seattle, Washington and has written over 200 articles in various publications on security, safety, and counter terrorism issues.
Transportation Traffic Engineering Expert Witness Carl Berkowitz
239 Lands End Court
Moriches NY
11955
USA
phone: 631-878-7419

Carl Berkowitz, PE, Ph.D., AICP, is a Transportation and Traffic Engineering expert with almost 50 years of expertise. He's held various managerial and administrative positions in the transportation industry, government, private, and academic sectors.
Dr. Berkowitz has extensive multi-modal experience in planning, design, engineering, safety, security, construction, maintenance, operations, and management. He has written and edited numerous reports, studies, articles, and columns for major publications, journals, newspapers and scholarly periodicals.
Background Experience:
- Transportation and Traffic Engineering Consultant, 1988 - Present
- New York City Department of Transportation, New York, 1970 – 88
- New York State Office of Planning Coordination, New York, 1967 - 70
- New York State Department of Transportation, Babylon, NY, 1963 - 67
- New York City Transit Authority, New York, 1962 - 63
Litigation Support - Dr. Berkowitz has served as a litigation consultant since 1997. He has the background and experience to make him ideally suited to contribute important information at every stage in the litigation process. Dr. Berkowitz is able to explain complex issues in layman terms, suggest strategies, investigate and uncover facts, perform literature reviews, research, and prepare safety evaluations. He has been deposed / testified over 50 times in the last 5 years.
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Architecture Expert Witness James Rappoport
James Rappoport, AIA, NCARB
Vice President, Principal
1007 Livezey Lane
Philadelphia PA
19119
USA
phone: (215) 882-3101

James Rappoport, AIA, NCARB is Principal and Architect of Record at Daroff Design Inc. + DDI Architects PC, a full service Planning, Architectural & Interior Design practice founded in 1973 and specializing in ground-up, renovation and historic adaptive reuse projects for office facilities, hotels, resorts, restaurants, meeting, conference and training facilities, aviation terminals and entertainment projects throughout the USA and Internationally. Mr. Rappoport has successfully provided technical consultation, expert witness opinions, affidavits, certificates of merit, depositions, mediation presentations, testimony and trial support in more than 190 legal cases, engaged by both defendants' and plaintiffs' legal teams. Areas of Expertise:
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Vocational Rehabilitation Expert Witness Christopher Lowery
Christopher A. Lowery, DHSc, CLCP
Clinical Health & Rehabilitation Consultant
2500 E. T C Jester Blvd., Ste. 216 Houston, Texas 77008
3355 Lenox Road, Suite 750 Atlanta, GA 30326
USA
phone: 1-888-340-1116
fax: 1-877-700-5058

Dr. Christopher A. Lowery, DHSc, CLCP is a Clinical Health & Rehabilitation Consultant with a special interest in helping individuals and organizations with public health impairment issues.
Since 2002, Dr. Lowery passion is to educate, empower and provide hope to individuals that deal with Catastrosphic Health Impairments by educating them on how to live a better quality of life due to poor health care conditions, which will address social, cultural and behavioral barriers across all diverse populations.
He currently hold the following degrees at University of North Texas, Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Studies (07); University of Oklahoma, Master of Arts in Human and Health Administration Services (10); Capital University Law School, Post-Speciality Certificate in Life Care Planning (12); University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Post-Master's Certificate in Rehabilitation Counseling (14); and Nova Southeastern University, Doctor of Health Science in Global Health (16).
Due to the broad knowledge of education, he practice as an expert on the following topics: expert testimony, litigation support, vocational evaluations, employment support/job placement, earnings capacity evaluations, rehabilitation consulting, medical life care planning, formulate reviews/opinions on independent medical examinations, disability case management, and a wide range of public health, medical, psychological and psychosocial aspect of disabilities.
**If you have a case that needs Dr. Lowery's expertise, please feel free to give his office a call for a free consultation.
Note: Please see below or website for more expertise areas.
Areas of Expertise:
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Laurie Chua, SHRM-SCP, is a highly skilled Employment Practice Professional with over 30 years experience in working as an HR Professional employed by Fortune 25 companies and nonprofit associations, including Dell Computers, Pfizer Pharmaceutical, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and California Employers Associations (CEA).
Litigation Support - As an HR Expert Witness, Laurie Chua has provided analysis for employment litigation cases. She is experienced and comfortable explaining California and Federal Employment Law to an audience, one-on-one, and over the phone. Ms. Chua has expert level knowledge in the areas of:
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Ms. Chua maintains an active multi-state HR consulting practice with in depth knowledge of California labor code, employment regulations, and opinion letters. She was previously employed by SHRM as an HR Knowledge Advisor, providing guidance and responding to resolve over 3,500 requests per year in HR compliance and best practices. Ms. Chua is Certified by the Society for Human Resource Management as a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with emphasis in Human Resources Management and Labor Relations.
With extensive teaching and public speaking experience, Ms. Chua presents onsite management training seminars, conferences, webinars on sexual harassment, discrimination, disabilities in the workplace, as well as other programs focused on compliance. She has presented the SHRM Certification course globally to prepare HR professionals to sit for the intensive SHRM certification exam. Ms. Chua is highly skilled presenting the required AB1825 California's Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prevention training.
Hotel and Restaurant Operations Expert Witness Gary Coburn
Gary R. Coburn
San Juan Capistrano CA
92675
USA
phone: gary@rci-consulting.com

Gary R. Coburn is an award-winning Restaurant Executive with 40 years of experience creating, opening, running, and advising hundreds of full service restaurants, limited service, quick-service, bars and nightclubs. Additional expertise in restaurant franchising and commercial kitchen design/build from remodels to ground up including conceptual development, viability and business interruption.
With over four decades in the industry, Mr. Coburn has held positions as VP of National Accounts and Design Build for the largest commercial kitchen and distribution company in the country to, Director of Operations, President, COO, Executive Director of Food Services and owner operator. His management experience has included supervising more than 2,000 employees, including 170 managers, along with overseeing consulting assignments for numerous companies.
Clients Include: Joe's Crab Shack, Cask ‘n Cleaver, Lord Charlie’s, El Gato Gordo, Pizza Pronto, Safari Bar Restaurant, Shark Club, Bull Dog Grill, Stronghouse, Pangea, The Ballroom, Juarez Grill, Dickerson’s Club 29, Yucatan Liquor Stand, Zepp’s Atomic Tex Mex, Cabo Grill, Angel Stadium, In Cahoots, The Ball Room, Slick Willie’s, Rodeo, Jake’s, Bobs on the Bay, Crabby Bob’s Seafood, PizzaRev, Honolulu Harry’s, Lahaina Mai Tai Lounge, Canyon Grill, Campagnia, Huey’s Grill & Brewery, Gladstone’s Long Beach, Pro’s Ranch Markets, Lily's Doughnuts & Pops
Litigation Support - Mr. Coburn has served as an expert witness in numerous restaurant-related cases. His services are available to attorneys for plaintiff and defense and include site inspection, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.
Areas of Expertise:
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Recent cases retained by Plaintiff:
- Guest incident regarding standard of care including safety, protocols / procedures, adequate warnings, and related issues
- Safety and security practices for proprietors regarding foreseeability of harm, likelihood of injury, notice and reasonable intervention
- Loss of income, conceptual and goodwill impact based on providing adequate parking
Recent cases retained by Defendant:
- Loss of income and the feasibility of the concept and the viability of opening the restaurant
- Slip and fall and the ensuring safety of its patrons and duty to use reasonable care in keeping premises reasonably safe
- Maintenance, industry standards of furniture handling and procurement, foreseeability of harm, and likelihood of injury from lack of procedures
Retail Design Expert Witness Jerry Birnbach
Jerry Birnbach, FISP, Associate AIA
Retail Expert Witness
45 Tudor City Place
Suite 1806
New York NY
10017
USA
phone: 917-691-4853 / cell: (479) 857-2726
fax: (844) 825-7557

Retail Expert Witness Corporation celebrates over 10 years of delivering the most precise opinions for over 400 cases nationally with Jerry Birnbach, FISP, Associate AIA, the celebrated expert.
Jerry’s years of retail design for Jerry Birnbach LLC have a proven safety expert recognition and a Top 50 Retail Design Firm. A Top 40 Retail Industry Leader and retail safety expert for 40 years, Jerry has provided opinions for State and Federal court in 47 States for a majority of Slip, Trip and Fall Cases. From his early partnership with Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart - to placing the Issac Mizrahi brand into Target stores across the United States, Jerry set up each of his retail design clients up for maximum success in retails sales and retail safety. Many of his retail clients continue to thrive and maintain the highest level of retail safety culture and retail safety practice as promoted by Jerry.
In 2012, Jerry launched a retail expert witness business to support cases involving big box retail stores, fast food restaurants, and medical centers, as well as small business retailers, restaurants, and medical practices. Jerry has serviced clients whose cases involved local municipalities, federal safety rules & regulations, building codes, and best practices in retail safety to avoid slip and trip falls. Jerry sees the not-so-obvious when forming his expert opinions and remains openly accessible to his clients’ needs in order to deliver the most efficient and impactful opinion while maximizing the validity of each requested expert witness opinion.
Special Education Expert Witness Joseph Schwartzberg
1831 Goldenrod Lane
Vista CA
92081
USA
phone: 760-705-0106

Dr. Joseph S. Schwartzberg, is an Educational Consultant / Expert Witness who provides consultation and testimony on cases involving students with disabilities and School safety matters.. Dr. Schwartzberg was responsible for developing and administering legally compliant special education and general programs for 35 school districts in NY before doing likewise for the 14 districts of North San Diego County. For 13 years, he served as the Senior Director of the North Coastal Consortium for Special Education for the San Diego County Office of Education.
Litigation Support - Dr. Schwartzberg has provided expert witness services to counsel representing both plaintiff and defense in state,federal as well as family court.
Areas of Expertise:
- IDEA
- School Safety
- ADA
- Standards of Care
- Other Agency Responsibilities
- Non-public Schools
- Appropriate Programming for Students with Disabilities
Certification / Credentials:
- School Administrator and Supervisor (SAS)
- School District Administrator (SDA)
- Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential
- Professional Clear Single Subject Teaching Credential : Health Science
- Learning Disabilities, Emotionally Handicapped, General Special Education
- Nursery, Kindergarten, Grades 1-6
- Health and special classes of the orthopedically and similarly handicapped
- Teacher of children with special learning handicaps
Life Care Planning Expert Witnesses Stokes & Associates
Dr. Aaron Wolfson, Todd Capielano, Brandy Bradley, Elizabeth Peralta & Dr. Ashley Lastrapes
3501 N. Causeway Blvd., Ste 900
Metairie LA
70002
USA
phone: 504-454-5009

Stokes & Associates specializes in Life Care Planning and Vocational Rehabilitation. Our team has a combined experience of over 20,000 case assignment engagements. As a result, they can quickly map out a plan to provide the right level of service for the task. Additionally, their detailed Request for Service interview is conducted before work begins to ensure roles and expectations are determined from the onset of their involvement.
Areas of Experience:
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Aaron M. Wolfson, PhD, LRC, CRC, CLCP, is a Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor, and Certified Life Care Planner who has testified as an expert witness in both state and federal jurisdictions.
Dr. Wolfson is a New Orleans native who earned his Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Colgate University, as well as a Master’s Degree and Doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He completed a doctoral internship at the University of Washington, where he also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Rehabilitation Psychology.
Dr. Wolfson received specialized training at the University of Washington Multidisciplinary Pain Center, as well as multiple inpatient and outpatient physical rehabilitation departments, and has published in the areas of vocational rehabilitation and clinical decision making in rehabilitation populations.
Todd S. Capielano, M.Ed., LRC, CRC, LPC, CLCP, CCM, is a Licensed and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Certified Life Care Planner who has practiced in the private sector of Vocational Rehabilitation for over 35 years. He has been in the field of vocational rehabilitation since 1985, specializing in vocational evaluations, labor market research, job placement, and working up future medical care costs for catastrophic and non-catastrophic injuries in life care plans.
Mr. Capielano has been accepted as a vocational expert since 1989 in various courts, including Federal, State, Civil District Courts, and before Administrative Law Judges for Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act claims. Additionally, he has served as a vocational expert for the Social Security Administration testifying in thousands of cases since 1992.
Mr. Capielano is a member of professional organizations, including the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, the Louisiana Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, and the American Association of Christian Counselors. He has served as Board Member at Large, President, and Past-President of IARP-LA. He received his Master’s degree in Counseling in 1992 from the University of New Orleans and his Bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Louisiana State University Medical Center, School of Allied Health Professions in 1986. Mr. Capielano holds national certifications as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Case Manager, and Certified Life Care Planner.
Ashley G. Lastrapes, Ph.D., NCC, CRC, CCM, CLCP, LPC, LRC has over 9 years of experience in private vocational rehabilitation. She earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Holy Cross; she holds a Master of Health Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in 2011; and her Bachelor of Science Degree in psychology from the University of New Orleans in 2009. Dr. Lastrapes is a Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor, as well as a board approved supervisor in the state of Louisiana. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas. In addition, she holds national certifications as a Certified Counselor, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Case Manager, and Certified Life Care Planner. Dr. Lastrapes is also a Vocational Expert with the Social Security Administration, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.
Dr. Lastrapes currently serves as the secretary of the Louisiana Licensed Professional Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors Board of Examiners. Dr. Lastrapes is a member of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals and served as a Board Member for the Louisiana chapter from 2014 to 2017.
Dr. Lastrapes specializes in vocational rehabilitation assessment, testing, labor market research, wage and earning capacity analysis, worker’s compensation policy and procedure, case management, life care planning, and career and adjustment counseling. Aside from her work in private rehabilitation, Dr. Lastrapes also has experience providing individual and family therapy to individuals with behavioral, mental health, and substance abuse issues.
Brandy E. Bradley, MHS, CRC, LRC, CLCP is a Licensed and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor who has over 15 years of experience in private rehabilitation. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Louisiana State University in 1997 and her Master of Health Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in 1999. She also holds national certification as a Certified Life Care Planner.
Brandy is a member of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP) and currently serves as President of the Louisiana Chapter. Brandy is also qualified as a Vocational Expert with the Social Security Administration, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.
Brandy’s areas of expertise include vocational rehabilitation assessment, testing, labor market research, wage and earning capacity analysis, life care planning, and counseling. Aside from her work in private rehabilitation, Brandy also has years of experience providing individual and family therapy to individuals and families with behavioral, mental health, and substance use issues.
Elizabeth Peralta, M.Ed., LRC, CRC, CLCP is a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, Life Care Plan Specialist, and Director of Case Management. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2005 and her Master of Education in Counseling from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2010.
Elizabeth is a Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor through the LLPVRC Board of Examiners and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Certified Life Care Planner.
Elizabeth’s areas of expertise include assessing future medical needs and life care planning, vocational assessment, wage and earning capacity analysis, and labor market research.
Passenger Transportation Expert Ned Einstein
Ned Einstein
President
41 Hickory Hill Drive
Warwick NY
10990
USA
phone: 212-766-1121 (NY) or 818-988-4586 (LA)
fax: 212-766-1122

Areas of Expertise: Accident analysis, testimony and mediation in vehicle and pedestrian accidents involving transit, paratransit, schoolbus, motorcoach, special education, non-emergency medical transportation, taxi, shuttle, child transport systems and services; slips and falls; crossing, boarding and alighting; wheelchairs; seatbelts; ADA and accessibility; passenger safety, security and sexual abuse; vehicle design, specification, crashworthiness, quality assurance and product liability; industry standards and practices; driver training and vehicle operation; management, monitoring, supervision and enforcement; maintenance; NHTSA, FTA, FMCSA and USDOT regulations; vehicle testing and certification; contract negotiation and compliance; risk management; planning and system design.
The Firm: Transportation Alternatives is a passenger transportation and automotive consortium engaged in consulting and forensic accident investigation and analysis (more than 600 cases). Specializes in elderly, disabled, schoolchildren.
Education: MURP (Urban and Regional Planning): George Washington University, 1975 BA, English Literature: Rutgers University, 1969
Professional Experience:
- President, Transportation Alternatives (1980 to present). Consulted to USDOT, transit agencies, private contractors, social service agencies, municipalities and school districts. Designed several major transportation systems
- Chairman/General Manager, PTS Transportation (1982-1992). Directed operations of a 70-vehicle paratransit system for physically and developmentally disabled individuals and a non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) service
- President, TAM-USA (1989-1995). Formed and directed a U.S.-Slovene joint venture company which coordinated the design, testing, certification and marketing of a European-manufactured school bus and motorcoach.
Appointments and Memberships:
- American Public Transportation Association
- National Association of Pupil Transportation
- United Motorcoach Association
- American Bus Association
- Community Transportation Association of America
- Association Internationale pour la Sécurité du Transport des Jeunes
- National School Transportation Conference (1995, 2000, 2005)
- Committee on School Transportation Safety, National Academy of Sciences
- Bus Industry Safety Committee (ABA)
- Access Committee (APTA)
Featured resources
by Andre Watson, PsyD
by John Salmen, AIA
by Ray Turner, EdD