The mobility industry is an interesting one, for many reasons, but mainly because it’s somewhat elusive.  What I mean is that information is sometimes difficult to gather.   For this post, I will concentrate on crash testing because it is interesting to look at differences between buying a regular vehicle and buying a converted van for wheelchair accessibility.  

When you shop for a regular vehicle, let’s say a Honda Odyssey minivan, do you question whether the vehicle has passed all the government safety requirements?  Probably not, I never have.  I have purchased 4 cars in my life and never once asked if the vehicle had been crash tested.  It is something I think the majority of us just assume, that the vehicle we are buying has been crash tested, and has passed. 

Did you know that all modifiers of vehicles, like VMI, have to re-crash the vans we build after they are modified.  Since we change the structure of the original vehicle, by cutting off the floor, NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) requires the van be crash tested again. 

When you are shopping for wheelchair accessible vans, ensure the van you are looking at passes all NHTSA crash test requirements.  This especially becomes important when shopping the manufacturers who sell wheelchair vans direct and don’t use a network of Mobility Equipment Dealers.   How do you verify that these companies have passed all federal regulations in terms of crash testing the van?  I would first contact NMEDA (National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association) and determine what is required.  I would then contact the manufacturer of the van you are looking at purchasing and ask them to provide the documentation that they have passed these requirements.

Yes, this is possible; getting two wheelchairs in an accessible minivan.   I always recommend however, that you get into many different wheelchair vans and see which will work for you and your family.  Not all side-entry lowered floor minivans are equal.  Each manufacturer and conversion is different, with different dimensions and features that may or may not benefit you. 

VMI's Removable Front Seats

For example, all of the conversions at VMI (Vantage Mobility International)have the same standard features which are very conducive for transporting two wheelchairs.   You could have one wheelchair user in the driver’s position, or in the front passenger’s position and then another wheelchair user in the middle area behind the two front seats.  Another option, depending on the size of the chairs, could be to put both wheelchair users in the middle area behind the two front seats. 

However, the ultimate deciding factor of whether you can get two wheelchairs into a wheelchair accessible minivan will be the size and weight of the wheelchairs + the weight of the people in the chairs.  One other thing to think about and discuss with your local mobility equipment dealer is who and what (in addition to the wheelchair users) will be transported in the vehicle.  Since most modifiers of wheelchair vans (like VMI, Braun, Vision) add weight to the vehicle during the conversion process, this slightly takes away the weight you can add to the vehicle in terms of payload.  Recommended payload capacity on wheelchair accessible minivans can be anywhere from 1000-1400lbs.  For example, if you have two people in wheelchairs (both the person + wheelchair) that equal 500lbs., you may only have 500lbs. left to put into the vehicle (people & cargo).

VMI Northstar In-Floor Ramp

Another thing to consider is the type of ramp system that would work best for the two wheelchairs and their positions.  There are two types of side-entry wheelchair vans;  in-floor and fold-out.  Above is the VMI Northstar in-floor ramp which “hides” under the vehicle so there is no ramp inside of the vehicle taking up space.  Below is the VMI Summit fold-out ramp which blocks the side passenger door.  The fold-out ramps also do take up some interior space in the vehicle so ensure you try out the desired positions of the wheelchairs if you choose to go with this option of ramp. 

VMI Summit Fold-Out Ramp

 To locate mobility equipment dealers in your area, you can go to the VMI Web site and enter in your zip code in their dealer locator.  Contact the dealer, make an appointment and go and check out the many different options available to you.

I can’t begin to count the number of calls I’ve received over the past couple of weeks from people inquiring about the cash for clunkers government program and wheelchair accessible vans.    The official program title is Car Allowance Rebate System and all the latest information, rules, guidelines, etc. are all available on the Web site, www.cars.gov. 

All of the questions I have received revolve around VMI’s involvement in the program and what that entails.  Since VMI does not sell the minivans, we cannot be directly involved in the program.  With that said, VMI announced that it will be giving its customers the opportunity to participate in the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS). 

To celebrate this exciting government program and the fuel efficiency of the Honda Odyssey with Variable Cylinder Management, VMI will temporarily accept customer supplied Honda chassis acquired with CARS incentive money (VMI does not convert Honda Odyssey LX chassis or Honda Odysseys with black or olive interior).  We will continue to accept customer supplied Dodge and Chrysler minivans as well.

What this means to you as a consumer is that you can work with a local car dealer and purchase your Honda Odyssey, Dodge Grand Caravan or Chrysler Town & Country minivan and take advantage of the CARS program.  You can then work with your local VMI Mobility Equipment Dealer to have that minivan shipped to Phoenix for the wheelchair conversion process.  You van locate authorized VMI Dealers by going to the VMI Web site and entering in your zip code.

I highly recommend that you start with you local Mobility Equipment Dealer to ensure everything is being handled properly.   The government program is a wonderful incentive and I hope you get to take advantage of it!

The only word that comes to mind right now is “Wow”!  I just came back from spending a weekend volunteering at Camp Erin, which is a bereavement camp for kids.  It was the most powerful, emotional and fulfilling weekend I have ever had in my 37 years on this earth. 

Last October, I was reading the paper and read an article about Jamie Moyer, a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.  I think the Phillies were in the playoffs and the article was about Jamie and his long career, but it was mainly about his foundation and Camp Erin.  He and his wife started this camp back in 2000 and it has grown leaps and bounds since then.  I was struck by their philinthropic work to start Camp Erin.  We hear so often about professional atheletes and the “bad seeds” who get caught for drunk driving, or dog fighting or gun violations, etc.  What we fail to hear more about is the wonderful work that professional atheletes do. 

This article for some reason struck a chord in me.  I have never in my life had anyone close to me die.  Don’t get me wrong, I have been surrounded by death, but no one immediate to my life.  So, why this particular camp resonated with me, I don’t know.  I do  know that I had been wanting to volunteer for sometime, in some way, shape or form, but never found a good fit for me and my hectic work schedule.  I went online to see if there was an Arizona chapter to Camp Erin, and there was.   I filled out the volunteer application and the wheels started turning. 

I went to the orientation at Stepping Stones of Hope, the Arizona chapter of Camp Erin, and was immediately “in”!   The organization was so laid back and understood volunteer’s other commitments and don’t ask you to dedicate 10 hours a month.  They simply ask that you give whatever time you can, whenever you can.  Perfect for me since I am on the road a lot with my job, I never know when I’m in town or when I’m out of town. 

So, this weekend was my first Camp Erin and it was so amazing.  My group was made up of three teenage kids, who had all lost a parent within the past 4 months.  They were guarded, hurt, shy, uneasy and in all honesty didn’t really want to be there.  I’m sure their parents made them come to this camp, but they all left with something that they didn’t when they came.  They left with hope.  They left with a sense of understanding.  They left with knowing that other people are going through the same thing. 

The weekend consists of activities that are meant to help the kids deal with and talk about the deaths.  I don’t know if you have ever tried to get a 14 year old boy to talk about the death of his father, but it’s pretty tough.  But, once they break through, it’s a catharsis.  I could write a book on my experience with Camp Erin and all the wonderful people I met, but that is not my goal.  My goal is to stress again to get involved.  Volunteer your time.  It was one weekend of my life and I may have gotten more out of it then the campers.  Life doesn’t evolve in a bubble.  We need support and love in our lives to grow and aspire.  Give yourself to others, in anyway you can.

I get asked this question a lot, “What should I be looking for in a used wheelchair van“? 

First and foremost, do your due diligence, especially when finding that “smoking deal”.  As the adage goes, if it looks to good to be true, it probably is.  With that said, there are many great used wheelchair vans out o n the market today, but ensure that you do your homework.  I recently met a four-time VMI minivan owner while out visiting a Mobility Equipment Dealer.  He informed me that he sells his his wheelchair vans every 3 years because he never wants to drive a van that is not in warranty.  So, there are many good used vans on the market, used by people who took very good care of those vans. 

I recommend the following:
     1.  Use Car Fax to do a background check on the vehicle to ensure it wasn’t in an accident. 
     2.  Get the year, make, model, features and ramp system (fold-out vs. in-floor) of the used van.  Ensure the van will suit your needs.  Contact the manufacturer and see if you can get an owners manual or an old brochure sent out.  Many times, we keep older information on file for this specific reason.  
    3.  Have a local Mobility Equipment Dealer perform an inspection on the van before you buy it.  They may find some things that can help you negotiate a better price on the van or may find that the van is in great working condition. 
     4.  Do some competitive pricing.  Go onto the Disabled DealerWeb site and see if you can find a comparable van to do some price comparisons.  
     5.  Lastly, ensure that the modified vehicle is the right fit for you and your family.  If you are going to be a driver and want to drive from your chair, ensure the used van is equipped to accommodate an independent driver.  If your wheelchair has a width of 28″, ensure the ramp system you are looking at can accommodate your chair.  If you don’t fit in the van, it doesn’t matter how much money you saved.

What I failed to understand as I get more exposure to charity events, is the relentless dedication of volunteers.  It takes commitment and devotion to pull off a successful fund raising event.  My past experiences with fundraisers has been that I pretty much just showed up, ran the race or wrote out a check. 

When I was back in Rhode Island last month I witnessed utter selflessness from countless people.  My dear friend Tara has a daughter with Rett Syndrome and was “hosting” her 3rd annual Race for Grace.  Living in Arizona, I have felt pretty helpless in terms of helping Tara with the Race.  She would religiously send updates on the goings on of coordination efforts, sponsorships, help needed, etc.  Since I wasn’t involved, I was naïve as to what goes on behind the scenes.  What I saw when I walked into the recreation room of St. Veronica’s church the day before the race was moving.  I expected to walk in and see all our friends and Tara’s family working diligently setting up, planning, etc.  Instead, I saw a sea of strangers doing all the work.  Who the heck are these people?  Where did they come from?

Race for Grace Volunteers

Every volunteer has a different story as to how they came to know Tara and David and why they wanted to help.  Regardless of their path to get there, there is one common denominator, Grace!  Grace moves everyone she touches, not with anything other than her smile and sheer presence.  Grace makes you want to movemountains for her and give her the voice that she doesn’t haveI’ve participated in many fundraisers, events, fun runs, etc. over the past 20 years.  .  When I was over at Tara’s last week, I picked up Grace and she nuzzled her head in my neck and we stayed in that position, unmoved for a few minutes.  It brought tears to my eyes because I felt that Grace was actually demonstrating an emotion, trying to tell me that she was comfortable with me.  Whether that is the case or not, only Grace knows, but it moved me.  Moments like that have moved hundreds of other people.  Anyone that meets Grace and the whole Reddington clan, can’t help but be inspired.

Getting ready for the race

So here I am, amongst these wonderful volunteers who probably didn’t even know Tara, David and Grace 3 years ago and they are dedicating their time, money and hearts to their cause.  There I was, having known Tara and David for decades and I felt like I had nothing to offer.  I just showed up, again, handing them a check and walked in the Race for Grace.  I vow that next year will be different.  I will not let strangers do the work of what I should have been doing all along, helping my best friend with her plight and struggle with Grace, helping them raise money to find a cure for this horrible disease. 

Racers - What a turnout!

The race was phenomenal!  Thousands of people showed up on a rainy and chilly morning to donate money and time to the cause – Grace!  I again, encourage you to get involved with any events such as this in your area.  If there is a walk or a fun run – spend 2-3 hours of your time and a few bucks to participate.  Most donation dollars go right to the foundation.  Tara’s Race for Grace gives 100% of all donations to the International Rett Foundation, they keep nothing.

Beautiful Grace

I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon at the Arizona MDA Summer Camp last week.  VMI as a corporation gives all charitable donations to the Muscular Dystrophy Association and has been for over 10 years.  VMI employees work closely with the local Phoenix MDA office for special events and fund raising activities.  When they invited us up to the VIP/Family day at the Summer Camp, we jumped at the opportunity. 

We drove up to Heber, AZ where the camp was being held and got there just as the “Cheer for Soccer Tournament Playoffs” began.  This is played by the kids in wheelchairs kicking or pushing a huge beach ball into the opponent’s goal.  They played in the recreation center of the camp, on the basketball court.   There were two teams, and both consisted of kids in manual wheelchairs and kids in powered wheelchairs.  The kids that are in manual wheelchairs are wheeled around by a camp volunteer and they played first.  The second group of kids was the ones in powered wheelchairs and didn’t need any volunteer assistance.  I couldn’t believe the energy in the room, with a live DJ and MC, it was exciting to just be there. 

MDA Soccer Tournament

The matches were competitive and lively and everyone seemed to be having a great time.  I was pleasantly surprised as I looked around and saw that the volunteers were mostly all high school kids.  I don’t know what I was expecting to see but it wasn’t this wonderful group of young people who have given up a week to spend with disabled children.  “Spend” isn’t the correct word since each volunteer is responsible for one camp member.  That means, ensuring all their needs are met and being their caregiver for the week.  Some kids who need more care are teamed with 2 or 3 camp volunteers. 

At this particular MDA summer camp,there were 95 camp attendees and over 150 volunteers.  The MDA camp is held every year and in almost every state.  Any child ages 6-17 who has Muscular Dystrophy can attend summer camp, free of charge.  The only requirement is that the child is registered with the MDA, which is also free.  The cost for one camper to attend the camp is approximately $800, which the MDA pays.  It immediately hit me just how important donation dollars and fund raising activities are to organizations such as the MDA.   

Manual Wheelchair Soccer Tournament

I have worked for VMIfor four years and have been involved with the MDA telethon, the MDA Stride and Ride and other MDA fundraising activities.  I have met so many wonderful families, many of them we have used in our VMI Photo Shoots.  But what I failed to do was connect the dots, that was until last week.  I saw all the work that went into raising money, but I didn’t see where that money went.  How wonderful it is to see your donation dollars be put to such good use.   This camp last week was just for the kids.  Parents were only allowed to come one day for “family day” and other than that, it was kids just being kids.  What an amazing gift for a child who has Muscular Dystrophy, to be able to be around friends and people who understand your disability.

Without personal and corporate donations, things like the MDA Summer Camp couldn’t exist.  Donations don’t have to be $800, but please donate something.  When my friend Tara hosted her annual Race For Grace, she recommended that people start a “10 for $10 campaign”; Ask 10 people you know to donate $10, think about how easy that is.  All I ask is that you get involved, whether it be financial or by donating your time.  The 150 volunteers didn’t come out of the woodwork, and organizations cannot survive without volunteers.

I was lucky enough this weekend to attend the Abilities Expo in Anaheim, CA.  I’ve written numerous times about these Expos and wanted to share some stories from this past weekend. 

Honda Odyssey with the VMI Northstar Conversion

Wheelchair Vendor

As always, I meet the most amazing people at these Expos.  I met a young man and his wife, and had seen them at the show last year as well.  He has MS and his disease is deteriorating.  Three years ago he could walk and now he’s confined to a power scooter most of the time.  He is currently driving a regular car and has hand controls installed so he can drive.  His wife helps him load the scooter in and out of the vehicle.  He is at the point where it’s getting too difficult to walk and is in the marketing for a wheelchair van.  They had so many questions, and they were in the right place to get all those questions answered.  There was every type of accessible van there for him to try out, to see which fit him best.  He and his wife must have spent four hours at the expo, and they got all the contact information they need for his disability, and products associated with it. 

Wheelchair Tennis Demonstration

 In addition to the displays and workshops, there are also a lot of different demonstrations.  In Anaheim, the above picture was the Tennis demonstration.  They also had Aaron Fotheringham, who is in the World Record Books for performing the 1st Wheelchair Back Flip.  They had fencing demonstrations and fashion shows, it was great.  I saw multiple people there on more than one day.  It is definitely one of those Expo’s where you can get something different every day you attend. 

Mobility Consultant Demo

If you can attend one of these Expo’s, I highly recommend it.  There are two more shows remaining this year, one in Chicago in June and one in Atlanta in November.  Check them out!!

I get this question frequently from customers who are in the market for wheelchair vans,  “How do you get insurance for an accessible van?  I’ve called a bunch of companies and they all tell me that they don’t cover the wheelchair conversion, just the vehicle.  Can you help me out?” 

Honda Odyssey with a VMI Conversion

I’m not surprised to hear the insurance companies telling you that they don’t cover the wheelchair conversions of the vehicle.  I only say that because we represent such a small market segment that many insurance companies have never heard of a wheelchair van and don’t know how to code it or how to handle it.  What I recommend it so contact your insurance company and ask to get a rider.  An insurance rider provides additional coverage for something specifically not covered with a primary policy. The rider is added to the primary policy and the policyholder pays an extra amount to cover the rider.

VMI has announced it has begun sales of their Summit fold-out ramp on the 2008-2009 Chrysler/Dodge minivans.  VMI has passed all state and federal requirements for safety and emissions and has been producing the new Summit conversion since April, 2009.  VMI has been modifying the Chrysler/Dodge line of minivans since 1987 and it has been the mainstay of their product line.   

The new Summit conversion for Chrysler/Dodge minivans offers all of the same outstanding vehicle modifications as the Northstar in-floor conversion, but wih a fold-out ramp system. The Chrysler/Dodge Summit ramp design was leveraged from VMI’s ultra-reliable Honda Summit conversion, but with key adaptations and feature improvements.  

VMI Summit Conversion Interior

The biggest obstacle was the passenger side sliding door handle, which sits lower in the vehicle than in previous Chrysler/Dodge minivans.  By shortening the ramp 6 inches, VMI now offers unobstructed access to the passenger side interior sliding door handle.  This shorter ramp also allows greater maneuverability in tight parking spaces, while also maintaining a ramp angle under 10°.  VMI also moved the deploy/stow chain to the outside of the ramp side-rail to prevent possible interference with wheelchairs and providing more usable ramp area. 

“The Summit has a long and rich history as a reliable fold-out ramp system,” said Doug Eaton, President and CEO of VMI.  “This new version, available on the Chrysler/Dodge platform, is well engineered, and may be our best effort yet.  The combination of the short ramp length, access to the door handle and generous interior maneuvering room differentiates the Summit conversion in this ultra competitive sector.”