Posts Tagged ‘wheelchair van’

Handicap Driving Aids

Trying to find a handicap driving aid for your car, truck, SUV, or minivan?  AbilityTrend.com has some interesting information regarding the different types of handicap driving aids available for disabled people who want the freedom of driving.  Many of these unique wheelchair driver devices can work in un-modified vehicles, but when paired with a wheelchair van conversion (Wheelchair Accessible Van), a fully accessible, fully drivable wheelchair vehicle is created.

AbilityTrend.com details the different types of handicap driving aids for sale like steering controls, mechanical hand controls, electric controls, reduced effort steering, and left foot accelerators.  A greater level of driving handicap aids is achieved with electric aids, but they require a more in-depth evaluation and training by a professional.  To learn more about which driving aid for handicap use will work best for your situation and budget, consult with a local mobility dealership in your area.  A local mobility dealer will also be able to aid you with questions on prices and availability, as well as installation.

Wheelchair Accessible Parking Courtesy

Many times, the public isn’t concious of the disabled parking lines painted in parking lots across America.  Often, especially with recent snow falls, wheelchair accessible parking spaces are hard to see, and parking lots are already extremely full.  All too often, this leads to crowding wheelchair vans and their drivers or passengers, creating impossible situations for them.  Many people with disabilities drive customized vans for wheelchairs that include ramps or mobility lifts that need room to extend.  And once extended, these wheelchair ramps and lifts could be too close to an adjacent vehicle to allow for easy access by a mobility device.

This dilema causes the person with disabilities to have to wait for the offender to move their car.  Cold weather can complicate some disabilities, and wheelchairs and other mobility equipment do not do well in frigid temperatures.  So the person driving a wheelchair van or accessible vehicle has to wait in the cold, or wait in the store and try to see when the car blocking their access moves (hard to do when sitting in a wheelchair with shoppers walking in and out of a store)  Often the police become involved.

In short, be considerate when parking.  If there is a spot open right next to the front door of the store, think twice.  It might be a wheelchair accessible parking space, or the additional reserved space needed for wheelchair accessible vans.

Wheelchair Vans and Cold Weather

As we are in the dead of winter with another round of snowstorms approaching, now would be a decent time to talk about wheelchair vans and cold weather.

• Use the garage, if you have one.  For wheelchair lifts that are mounted underneath the vehicle, a night in the garage can let the ice and snow thaw out.  A lot of lifts for full size vans are powered by hydraulics.  The oil used in the hydraulic cylinders tends to sludge up when the temp is really cold, and allowing the accessible wheelchair van warm up will help performance.  A lowered floor minivan with a wheelchair ramp can also benefit from being inside and out of the elements.
• Wheelchair vans should be winterized, just like any other vehicle.  For as long as people have been driving, they’ve been winterizing their vehicles.  Its no different with a wheelchair accessible van.  Many wheelchair van manufacturers recommend 6 month service appointments at a local mobility dealer for lubrication and checking for wear and tear.  A mobility dealer can also catch potential problems before they happen and make the necessary repair.  The half hour appointment can save big bucks later, not to mention the hassle of being stuck out in the cold when your accessible wheelchair van decides to quit.
• Write down the emergency numbers for your local mobility shop.  Many offer 24 road side emergency service, but that won’t do you any good if you can’t contact them.
• The battery is one of the most crucial parts of any accessible wheelchair van conversion, so get it changed if you even suspect it is on its last legs.  A trickle charger can also be a great investment if you drive you van less than 1 time per week, as it will keep the battery performing well.
• Keep an eye on the weather.  It it is totally lousy, you might want to think about staying home.

Extreme Wheelchair Van Adventure

The whole point of wheelchair accessible vans or vehicle is to allow people with disabilities to experience the fullness of life that able bodied individuals have.  Maybe that means taking the wheelchair van to the mall, to a ball game, or out for a night with friends.  For one non profit organization, it means off road adventures:

Disabled Explorers is a non-profit organization that exists to enhance the lives of disabled people through independent four-wheel-drive backcountry travel.

The Wheelchair Accessible Van for Expeditions (WAVE) is an off-road capable, four-wheel-drive recreational vehicle equipped with a wheelchair lift and hand controls. It is designed to be driven by a wheelchair user, taken into remote areas, and lived in while traveling. Disabled guests on the Desert Solitude Series of trips will drive the WAVE on remote roads and trails and experience independent adventure travel.

An accessible wheelchair van is one thing.  But it is entirely different to take a fully accessible vehicle offroad in rough terrain.  Most mobility vans have lowered floors or raised roofs and don’t exactly do well on back roads.  But these beefed up vehicles for wheelchair users are specifically designed to withstand the demanding nature of off road activity.