Next stop, access!

This plain language toolkit provides the conceptual and technical background for a research paper on disability rights and the transition to electric school buses in the United States. It defines key frameworks including disability justice, environmental justice, and intersectionality, and outlines the legal protections for people with disabilities in the US. Additionally, it details the different types of school buses (Types A, B, C, and D) and the goal of the World Resources Institute's Electric School Bus Initiative to electrify the US school bus fleet by 2030.

• The World Resources Institute's (WRI) Electric School Bus Initiative aims to transition all school buses in the United States from gas to electric by 2030 to improve health for children and families and reduce operating costs.
• The toolkit defines disability justice as a movement led by people experiencing different levels of oppression, emphasizing accessibility, the autonomy of people with disabilities in making choices, and interdependence.
• Environmental justice is described as a movement ensuring all individuals, regardless of race, color, national origin, disability, or income, have equal treatment and access to environmental policies, focusing on the health of diverse communities.
• The document outlines three primary national laws in the United States providing disability protections: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for public place accessibility, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 for federal program accessibility, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for free public education and support services for qualified children with disabilities.
• The toolkit identifies four types of school buses: Type A (smallest, 10–30 people, often used for special education), Type B (no longer made), Type C (classic style, 36–77 people, comprising 70% of US buses), and Type D (largest, up to 90 people, often used for field trips). All available electric models for Types A, C, and D can include wheelchair lifts.

APA

World Resources Institute (2024). Next stop, access! https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-11/before-you-read-next-stop-access-plain-language.pdf?VersionId=DNAyyzUThHhQOb0Kpj8NwWc_Wt_6Osfs

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Next stop, access! 2024. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-11/before-you-read-next-stop-access-plain-language.pdf?VersionId=DNAyyzUThHhQOb0Kpj8NwWc_Wt_6Osfs.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Next stop, access! |date=2024 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-11/before-you-read-next-stop-access-plain-language.pdf?VersionId=DNAyyzUThHhQOb0Kpj8NwWc_Wt_6Osfs |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2024next, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Next stop, access!}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2024}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-11/before-you-read-next-stop-access-plain-language.pdf?VersionId=DNAyyzUThHhQOb0Kpj8NwWc_Wt_6Osfs}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }