Mobility Products, News and Answers

Question:  I heard the new Ford Transit Connect is a good vehicle that offers both lift and ramp van options for a person needing a wheelchair accessible vehicle?  Is that true?

Answer From Superior:  YES!  The Ford Transit Connect is a great vehicle for either option depending on your needs.  It can be equipped with a Wheelchair Lift and Tiedowns or, it can go through a partial lowered floor conversion and have a ramp installed in the rear!!  After its been converted, here’s what the dimensions look like:

Overall Van Height 80”
Overall Vehicle Length 180”
Wheel Base 115”
Door Opening Height 59 1/2”
Door Opening Width 50 1/2”
Interior Height (Mid section) 58 1/2”
Maximum Interior Width at B Pillar 58 1/2”
Platform Interior Length 49 1/2”
Floor Drop Width 30 1/2”
Ramp Width 30”
Ramp Length 60”
Estimated Miles per Gallon 22
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 4,965 lbs.
Est. Available Payload Capacity 1,694 lbs.
(without WC or Passengers)

A terminally ill boy whose specialized wheelchair was broken on an Air Canada flight from Toronto to New York has been given it back after the airline had it fixed.

Tanner Bawn, 10, his aunt and his mother arrived at La Guardia Airport on Wednesday and discovered the boy’s $15,000 custom wheelchair in pieces. The boy, a native of Kamloops, B.C., suffers from Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy.

Shortly after 2 p.m. ET, Scott Stratten, a self-described viral and social marketing expert who is accompanying the family on the trip to New York, said Bawn’s repaired wheelchair has been returned.

Bawn’s family was planning to take part in a charity run called Tutus for Tanner in New York City on Friday.

The boy’s aunt, Catherine Connors, who runs the parenting blog Her Bad Mother, tweeted about the incident Wednesday night after arriving at La Guardia airport.

Connors said the family was devastated and, without a proper wheelchair, the boy was confined to his hotel bedroom, unable to get around.

The story struck a nerve and was picked up by hundreds of people on Twitter who lambasted Air Canada for the incident.

Around 11:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Air Canada issued a response on Twitter to the issue: “We’re sorry Tanner. We’re working w/ yr family 2 make this up 2 you ASAP @herbadmother”.

Family disputed Air Canada account

Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Air Canada, said in an email to CBC News that Air Canada had “immediately” sent the broken chair out for repairs.

“We also supplied a manual wheelchair and later in the evening an electric wheelchair for his use in the interim.

“Once we learned the replacement chair was inadequate, we got in contact with the family to see what we could do for them. Because the chair is custom-made, it is difficult to get it repaired or replaced quickly, but we are doing all we can.”

The Bawn camp quickly disputed that account.

Stratten said the Air Canada response has “so many lies it’s not even funny.

“They did not send an electric wheelchair last night, there was one sitting in the lobby this morning that was not adequate. We were never told it was there,” he said in an email. “They never called to say it, they never called after hearing it was inadequate and the replacement that just got here is a scooter people use to go shopping, and is worse than the first.”

Superior Van and Mobility has three locations that received one or both of the top two rankings in the region for the second quarter based on returned Customer Satisfaction surveys!  The wheelchair accessible van location of Knoxville, Tennessee had the highest Superior Van and Mobility ranking with a 99 percent for the South East region.

The surveys come from customers that have purchased vehicles with Superior Van and Mobility and have returned the Customer Satisfaction Index Survey (CSI) from Braun about the sales process and the dealership. To be considered dealers must have had a minimum of four surveys returned.

Other wheelchair accessible van Superior locations that received the award were Evansville, IN with a 97 percent and South Bend, IN with a 96 percent in the Midwest Region in satisfaction ratings. Each Superior Van & Mobility dealer that received this high ranking will be awarded with a recognition lunch for their team.

Superior Van & Mobility was recently chosen to be an exclusive dealer for the sleek and innovative wheelchair accessible motorcycle by Mobility Conquest in Kentucky (Louisville and Lexington), Indiana (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend and Evansville) and east Tennessee (Knoxville) regions. Superior Van prides itself with 34 years of providing quality and safe products.

“We (Superior Van & Mobility) are honored and excited about becoming a Mobility Conquest dealer,” Sam Cook, Owner of Superior Van & Mobility said.  “It was important to us to be able to give our customers the opportunity and freedom to enjoy the open road as they once did, or have always dreamed of doing.”

Mark Allen Roberts, President of Mobility Conquest, said they look for market leaders with a reputation of strong customer service and technical expertise. The dealer is required to be NMEDA QAP and have a proven commitment to a consultative sales approach to serving their customers.

“Superior is the recognized leader in each market they serve due to their focus on serving clients and matching them with the ideal solution based on the nature of the client’s disability,” Roberts said. “We were honored to win their support as a Conquest dealer as it was our vision to partner with the best of the best dealers in each market, and Superior was clearly that dealer.”

In 2010, Mobiulity Conquest was chosen to be the exclusive supplier and assembler of the motorcycle in the United States. The design allows consumers in wheelchairs to enter the rear ramp of the motorcycle and go up the ramp, locking the chair in place behind the steering wheel. This bike was designed for consumers in wheelchairs with strong upper bodies but physical challenges from the waist down and is surprisingly powerful with a 1200 CC BMW engine and can go from 0 to 60 in 7.5 seconds.

Like a number of innovative products for the physically challenged community, this bike was originally designed by Alan Martin whose son was injured at work and unable to participate in his passion for riding motorcycles. After years of development and just under $5 million Alan’s desire to help his son has turned into a business helping a number of physically challenged consumers enjoy the thrill and freedom of riding a motorcycle.

These days, there is a wide variety of conversion options available for mobility-challenged drivers and passengers who seek to upgrade their vehicles. If you’re new to the world of mobility conversions, stepping into a dealership can be an overwhelming experience. However, by doing the proper research, you can acquire the knowledge necessary to shop with confidence. Below are 10 points to keep in mind when shopping for conversion upgrades and conversionvehicles. BraunAbility is the world’s largest provider of wheelchair-accessible minivans. The company’s president, Nick Gutwein, was kind enough to contribute to this article by sharing his insight.
1. Know your options. Thankfully, you have many alternatives from which to choose when it comes to mobility upgrades. You could install a scooter lift on your vehicle that lifts your scooter or chair and puts it in the trunk. You could install seats that articulate and lift the driver into and out of the vehicle. And of course, you could also opt to convert your vehicle with a ramp for wheelchair access. Which upgrade is best for you? The answer will depend largely upon just how mobile you are.

2. Tap your dealer’s expertise. An informed dealer can help you make sense of the various choices available to you, and can guide you toward the upgrade that best suits your needs. “Maybe the most important thing is to have a local dealer who understands your disability,” says Gutwein. “The dealer can help you decide whether to go for a scooter lift, articulating seat or a full van conversion.”

3. Choose an accredited dealer. Mobility dealers differ from regular car dealers in that
they need to have 24-hour, 7-day-a-week service capability; if your conversion vehicle has a breakdown, your dealer is expected to be on call to help you address the problem. The dealer’s mechanics are also expected to have training that meets certain standards. The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) is an organization dedicated to advocating for the provision of safe, reliable modifications in the conversion market. NMEDA offers a Quality Assurance Program (QAP) that’s the only nationally recognized accreditation program for the adaptive mobility industry. Dealers who participate in the QAP must meet high standards regarding the services that they provide. Notes Gutwein: “If it’s not a QAP dealer, it’s a crap shoot.”

4. Know the value of experience. The industry has a lot of people who do customized
conversions. You want to avoid someone with a garage shop whose work in this segment is limited to three or four conversions a year; it’s very important to choose a dealer who has a history and track record of performance. Look at the number of vans they’ve converted. How big is the company? Do they have customer satisfaction information? Is there data that shows that customers who’ve bought from them are happy with the product?

5. Get references. Dealers or manufacturers should be able to provide you with
recommendations of people who’ve purchased from them in the past. Get in touch with these references, and find out whether they’re happy with the service they’ve received.

6. Consider the warranty. If you’re converting a new vehicle for wheelchair access, you’ll
want the conversion to offer the same warranty coverage that you get on the chassis: If there’s 3-year/36,000-mile coverage on the chassis, for example, that’s what you should get on the warranty. Though not all companies provide this, you’ll get this level of coverage from a handful of top-tier converters.

7. Get the right fit. If you’re looking at potential conversion vehicles, one of the most
important things to consider is the fit. Is the vehicle big enough, given your chair and your size, for you to easily enter and move around in? Also, is it big enough to accommodate the number of passengers that you typically carry? For some, a smaller SUV like the Honda Element will be large enough to do the trick, while others may have to opt for a minivan.

8. Decide whether you want a rear-entry or side-entry modification. With conversion
vehicles, you’ll have the option of having your modification accommodate either rear or
side entry. In a side-entry van, you can access both the mid-section and front of the vehicle while remaining in your chair. With rear-entry vans, you can typically only access the rear and mid-section of the vehicle while remaining seated. How narrow is your parking space? If you frequently face tight parking spaces, you might be better served by a rear-entry van. “Eighty-seven percent of the market is side entry, but it’s still an important question,” opines Gutwein.

9. Know the pros and cons of purchasing the chassis separately versus buying the
vehicle pre-made. If you’re shopping for a conversion vehicle, you have the choice of either purchasing the vehicle pre-made, or buying a new chassis and then taking it to a conversion shop. There are time savings and convenience benefits associated with buying the vehicle pre-made. However, there may be cost savings associated with buying the chassis separately, if you’re able to get a better deal from a non-mobility-focused dealer.

10. Prepare for a long day. In the mobility market, the dealer works as a consultant, carefully analyzing your needs with the aim of coming up with the product that represents the best solution. As a result, the selling process is typically a long one. Expect to spend at least a few hours in the dealership. You can shorten the process by arriving at the dealership with a clear picture of what your needs are, and what you’d like to accomplish with the conversion.
© Edmunds.com, Inc. All rights reserved. First published on www.edmunds.com and reprinted with permission.
Edmunds and the Edmunds.com car logo are proprietary trademarks of Edmunds.com, Inc.
The Edmunds.com Mobility Buying Guide: www.edmunds.com/mobility/2010/buyingguide.html

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Many states are now noticing the fraud that is prevalent in handicap parking for wheelchair accessible vehicles, and are cracking down to give people larger fines and make it harder to fake handicap parking placards.

South Carolina put a low into effect earlier this year which required the disabled person to have a photo on their placard. Other states that have had new laws go into effect in 2010 are North Carolina, and California.

A new website has also been set up by a Californian woman that had a terrible time parking with her handicapped grandfather. Handicapped Fraud.org has users send in tips that she then sends to the officials at the particular state’s department of motor vehicles.

The founder of the handicapped fraud website, Maureen Birdsall, recommends that when someone sees a driver abusing the system, they shouldn’t confront them, though. Some people who use handicapped parking have invisible disabilities, and it would be very upsetting for them to feel as though their illness or disability was not valid.

Some of the changes in handicap parking across the United States are:

• Connecticut: Republican Governor Judi Rell initiated a media campaign; new technology to make it easier to make sure someone has a valid handicap parking placard, and window stickers instead of the placards that hang on rear view mirrors.
• California: January 1st, a law went into effect that gives cities the control over whether they increase penalties for handicap parking violations. These fines can be up to $1,000. Also, parking officers can issue them now, where before violations could only be issued by law enforcement. After the bill went into effect, the city of San Francisco raised its fine to $750 from $100.
• North Carolina: Handicap parking placards will now have expiration dates that are in a very large font. This way they can be seen over fifteen feet away.

Dealing with the hassles of transportation is the last thing that a person with a physical disability should have to worry about. Even asking for help can be a problem because you have to worry about the aggravation of getting in and out of the vehicle and storing your scooter or wheelchair. Wheelchair accessible vans provide mobility freedom.

Families and friends of those with a disability are making an investment when purchasing a wheelchair accessible van. Because each person has a different set of financial circumstances, new or pre-owned vehicles are available.

If you are considering purchasing a wheelchair accessible van, you should take a few moments to sit down and make a list of your specific and general needs, both physical and financial. The next thing that you should do is begin researching dealers, making sure that you are visiting a trustworthy company that is knowledgeable, friendly, and timely and QAP certified.

Except for the fact that wheelchair accessible vans have undergone a conversion, they are just like any normal vehicle. It is imperative that you pay close attention to the interior, the extra machinery and the condition of the engine and tires. Check to see that the van was serviced regularly. Since a van is a large investment, you may even want to take your van into the shop and have your mechanic take a look at it before you buy.

Depending on the van you choose, you might find that it is much more expensive than you had planned. You may also want to talk to your bank manager and the dealer before you give up hope. Several organizations and charities will offer to help you purchase your wheelchair accessible van.

If you are still having trouble making up your mind, you can rent a wheelchair van for a few days and experience the product before purchasing.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

This article has been re-worded by IMED Consulting for grammar purposes.