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Full Sized Accessible Wheelchair Vans

Ask people with disAbilities—when purchasing a handicap or accessible van—size matters. The full-sized van is a good option for those with a large family, those who travel often, those with additional equipment and accessories, those who need to tow large loads, or big or tall passengers or drivers.

Most minivans do not have roof modifications so you don’t have as much interior space. Roomy full-size vans gain space by raising the roof, lowering the floor or both, and also have the advantage of more power and load carrying capacity.

Full-sized van:

Its weight-carrying capacity is significantly more than a minivan’s. It can hold the weight of a power wheelchair and even accommodate two individuals in wheelchairs.
It offers a lowered floor for the center, passenger or driver position; raised roof, raised doors; lifts and adaptive driving aids.
A raised roof makes it easy for someone to enter the van seated in a wheelchair or for a caretaker to tend to them or walk in and out of the entrance.
Doors are raised in conjunction with a roof to enable a person in a wheelchair to enter without having to bend over or have a caretaker tilt the wheelchair back.
Larger wheelchairs or motorized wheelchairs require floor-lowering or roof-raising modifications that a full-size van allows.

VA Adaptive Sports Program

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Mission Redefined
Your courage, your determination and your drive all led you to serve America proudly. Those same characteristics will also lead to satisfaction and success in adaptive sports. Disabled Veterans of all ages and abilities report better health, new friendships and a better quality of life when participating in adaptive sports. Disabled Veterans who are physically active simply have more fun! To get started, take some time to review the many sports opportunities available to you by reaching out to your VA clinical team.

Get started by learning how disabled Veterans can benefit from adaptive sports. If you have questions, contact them at vacoadaptiveSP@va.gov.

2015 Schedule of National Events
2014 Annual Report to Congress

The Grant Program
The Grants for Adaptive Sports Programs for disabled Veterans and Members of the Armed Forces (ASG Program) provides grant funding to organizations to increase and expand the quantity and quality of adaptive sport activities disabled Veterans and members of the Armed Forces have to participate in physical activity within their home communities, as well as more advanced Paralympic and adaptive sport programs at the regional and national levels. Learn more»

Training Allowance
Interested in becoming a Paralympic athlete?
The VA National Veterans Sports Programs & Special Events Office provides a monthly assistance allowance for disabled Veterans as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 322(d) and Section 703 of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2008 for qualifying athletes training in Paralympic sports.

Through the program, VA will pay a monthly allowance to a Veteran with either a service-connected or non-service-connected disability if the Veteran meets the minimum military standards or higher (e.g., Emerging, Talent Pool, National Team) in his or her respective sport at a recognized competition. Besides making the military standard, an athlete must also be nationally or internationally classified by his or her respective sport federation as eligible for Paralympic competition within six or 12 months of a qualifying performance.

Athletes must also have established training and competition plans and are responsible for turning in monthly and quarterly reports in order to continue receiving the monthly assistance allowance. The allowance rate for an athlete approved for monetary assistance is the same as the 38 U.S.C. Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) rate, which in FY 2013 ranged from $585.11 up to $1,104.64 per month, depending on the number of dependents.

Download the VA Training Allowance Standards

Download the VA Training Allowance Briefing

To learn more about the specific sport standards or the monthly assistance allowance, email them at vacoadaptiveSP@va.gov.

Vehicle Maintenance

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Oil changes:
Older cars need oil changes every 3,000 miles, but manufacturers of newer ones typically suggest 5,000 miles, 7,500 miles or even longer intervals between changes. If you don’t drive much, change it twice a year. (Synthetic oil is expensive – maybe twice the price.)

Air filter:
If you can see light through the filter paper, it does not need to be changed yet. But change it at least every 20,000 miles or more often when it’s dusty (lots of construction or at pollen time).

Windshield Wipers:
Replace them yourself at least once a year (most recommend 2 times a year).

Adding additives to the tank?:
Don’t bother. All gas has them. Since 1994, the government has required that detergents be added to all gasoline to help prevent fuel injectors from clogging.

Tire rotation:
Every time you have an oil change have the tires rotated. Tires at the right pressure and balanced properly save one or two miles per gallon – and the expense of new tires.

Antifreeze:
Your car needs antifreeze in both summer and winter for its anticorrosion or antiwear additives. A 50-50 mix with water is suggested, unless it came diluted when you bought it. Read the label. (Keep a spare bottle in your trunk in case the car overheats on a hot day.)

Rust Treatment:
Rust is a serious problem and spreads like a rash. It can shorten the lifespan and value of any vehicle. You should have your vehicle treated for rust twice a year. The best times to prevent rust damage to your vehicle is in Autumn: before the first snowflake falls and Spring: after the first heavy rain fall; a little vehicle maintenance will help keep the rust away.

4-Point Tiedown Wheelchair Securement Systems

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For people with disAbilities, it is vital to remember how to correctly fasten the wheelchair securements in an accessible van. The four-point tiedown secures a wheelchair with four straps attached to the wheelchair at four separate securement points and attached to the vehicle at four separate anchor points.

If it’s been a while, read and follow all manufacturers’ instructions. If you have a 4-point tiedown but have lost the instructions or a new caregiver is helping, follow the tips below to ensure your safety.

Always position the wheelchair and rider facing forward.

When securing a WC19 wheelchair (WC19 wheelchair is a crash-tested wheelchair with four clearly identified securement points that meet the design and performance requirements of ANSI-RESNA WC19 Wheelchairs Used as Seats in Motor Vehicles.), attach the straps to the securement points provided on the wheelchair. Tighten them to remove any slack.

If you don’t use a WC19 wheelchair, attach the straps to welded junctions of the wheelchair frame or where the frame is fastened with steel bolts indicated by six raised lines or bumps on the bolt head.

Do not attach tiedowns to adjustable, moving or removable parts of the wheelchair.

Rear securement points should be high enough to result in angles of the rear tiedown straps between 30 and 45 degrees to the horizontal.

If your non-WC19 wheelchair has a tilt seat, attach both the front and rear straps to either the seat frame or the base frame.

Floor anchor points for rear tiedown straps should be located directly behind the rear securement points on the wheelchair. Front tiedown straps should anchor to the floor at points that are spaced wider than the wheelchair.

Clamp-type securement devices are not recommended since they do not provide effective securement in frontal crash testing.

Invisible DisAbilities

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In general, the term disAbility is often used to describe an ongoing physical challenge. This could be a bump in life that can be well managed or a mountain that creates serious changes and loss. Either way, this term should not be used to describe a person as weaker or lesser than anyone else. Every person has a purpose, special uniqueness and value, no matter what hurdles they may face.

In addition, just because a person has a disAbility, does not mean they are disAbled. Many living with these challenges are still fully active in their work, families, sports or hobbies. Some with disAbilities are able to work full or part time, but struggle to get through their day, with little or no energy for other things. Others are unable to maintain gainful or substantial employment due to their disAbility, have trouble with daily living activities and/or need assistance with their care.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) an individual with a disAbility is a person who: Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; has a record of such an impairment; or is regarded as having such an impairment (Disability Discrimination).

Furthermore, “A person is considered to have a disability if he or she has difficulty performing certain functions (seeing, hearing, talking, walking, climbing stairs and lifting and carrying), or has difficulty performing activities of daily living, or has difficulty with certain social roles (doing school work for children, working at a job and around the house for adults)” (Disabilities Affect One-Fifth of All Americans).

Often people think the term, disAbility, only refers to people using a wheelchair or walker. On the contrary, the 1994-1995 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) found that 26 million Americans (almost 1 in 10) were considered to have a severe disAbility, while only 1.8 million used a wheelchair and 5.2 million used a cane, crutches or walker (Americans with Disabilities 94-95). In other words, 74% of Americans who live with a severe disAbility do not use such devices. Therefore, a disAbility cannot be determined solely on whether or not a person uses assistive equipment.

The term invisible disAbilities refers to symptoms such as debilitating pain, fatigue, dizziness, cognitive dysfunctions, brain injuries, learning differences and mental health disorders, as well as hearing and vision impairments. These are not always obvious to the onlooker, but can sometimes or always limit daily activities, range from mild challenges to severe limitations and vary from person to person.

Also, someone who has a visible impairment or uses an assistive device such as a wheelchair, walker or cane can also have invisible disAbilities. For example, whether or not a person utilizes an assistive device, if they are debilitated by such symptoms as described above, they live with invisible disAbilities.

Unfortunately, people often judge others by what they see and often conclude a person can or cannot do something by the way they look. This can be equally frustrating for those who may appear unable, but are perfectly capable, as well as those who appear able, but are not.

The bottom line is that everyone with a disAbility is different, with varying challenges and needs, as well as abilities and attributes. Thus, we all should learn to listen with our ears, instead of judging with our eyes.