Tag Archives: ME

Maine Mobility Rebate Resources

Maine Disability Grants and Funds for Wheelchair Vans

Financial Aid Resources for Handicap Vans for Maine (ME) Residents
If you reside in Maine, there is an array of available sources for disability grants. Money may be applied to various aspects of independence and living, including toward purchasing a new or used wheelchair van. Funds can also often be applied to buying and installing vehicle modifications for handicapped accessibility, including lowered floors and equipment that facilitates entry and exiting in a wheelchair or scooter, mobility equipment lifts and hand controls for adaptive driving capabilities.
Persons with physical disabilities in Maine can contact the following nonprofits and state government agencies for help. Some provide disability grants themselves, while others will point you in the right directions for financial aid. A handicap van is well within reach once you investigate assistance options.

In addition to the resources below, contact state branches of groups dedicated to helping people with your particular disability.

Sources for Maine Disability Grants and Assistance:
Alpha One 
Alpha One is a Maine Center for Independent Living. It helps state residents with a variety of mobility impairments and other special needs achieve a more self-reliant lifestyle. The organization provides grants directly and serves as an essential information resource.

South Portland Office: 127 Main Street South Portland, ME 04106 (207) 767-2189 or (800) 640-7200
Bangor Office: 11 Bangor Mall Blvd., Unit A Bangor, ME 04401  (207) 941-6553

Bureau of Maine Veterans Service
This is the Maine state government’s resource for veterans of a branch of the US military. Disabled veterans are entitled to numerous benefits, often including grants toward wheelchair vans or handicap accessibility equipment and conversions.

Veterans in Maine may also find their local US Department of Veterans Affairs, based in Togus at their website.

Maine Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs)
Maine’s ADRCs are scattered across the state, serving residents on a county-by-county basis. Use the link above to find your local office’s website and contact information. These Centers provide assistance and information to the elderly and people with disabilities.

Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) 
AAA is a national program providing aid on a state-by-state basis. Local chapters serve groupings of counties. Maine’s Agencies assist the elderly with a variety of needs, including securing vans for people who rely on scooters or wheelchairs. Use the provided website to locate your branch’s website and contact information.

Maine CITE 
This agency is run by the Maine Department of Education and funded by the US Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration. They facilitate the acquisition of all types of assistive technology for state residents with disabilities.

University College
46 University Drive
Augusta, Maine 04330 USA
(207) 621-3195
iweb@mainecite.org

Maine Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC)
Like all national DDCs, MDDC uses the Federally established definition of developmental disabilities. This group, a collection of individuals, families and agencies, is focused on promoting self-determination among state residents with developmental disabilities. Its services, assistance and information resources are many and varied.

139 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0139

(207) 287-4213 or (800) 244-3990

Maine Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) 
This sub-agency of the State of Maine’s Department of Labor, helps residents with disabilities secure employment. They can provide financial assistance and information for people with limited mobility who need a handicap van to hold down a job.

New England Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Centers 
ADA Centers around the country help citizens with disabilities become more independent and fight to uphold their rights and quality of life. The New England chapter serves residents in this geographical area, including people in Maine.
180-200 Portland St., Suite 1
Boston, MA 02114

(617) 695-1225 or (800) 949-4232
ADAinfo@NewEnglandADA.org

Pine Tree Society (PTS)
PTS is a Maine-based nonprofit formed in 1936. It serves state residents with disabilities in many ways, including with the acquisition of assistive technologies.

P.O. Box 518
149 Front Street
Bath, Maine 04530
(207) 443-3341
info@pinetreesociety.org

These are only some of the resources available for Maine disability grants and assistance.
If you work with or know of another agency or organization in Maine that should be listed here, please let us know.
Rehabilitation Services

Office of Rehabilitation Services
The Office of Rehabilitation Services helps people with disabilities become employed and live independently in the community. They provide a variety of programs and services to empower individuals with disabilities to prepare for, obtain and maintain employment and economic self-sufficiency.

Vocational Rehabilitation
The focus of the Vocational Rehabilitation Program is to help people with disabilities prepare for, obtain and maintain employment. Individuals who apply for this program are interested in becoming employed. If a person receives Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and they are interested in working, they are assumed to be eligible for this program.

Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
The Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired offers a variety of training and adjustment services for individuals who are blind or who have significant visual impairments. The goal is to help them become independent, active, and self-sufficient members of their community. Services are available for children and adults.

Disability Determination Services
The Disability Determination Services unit determines the eligibility for children and adults with disabilities who are applying for cash benefits from the federal Social Security Administration’s programs – Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Assistive Technology Access Partnership
The Office of Rehabilitation Services administers the Assistive Technology Access Partnership which can help individuals with disabilities get assistive technology devices and services.

Maine Disability Grants Handicap Funding ME
In order to receive handicap funding in Maine, many residents use multiple sources of mobility funds available in Maine, such as disability grants, handicap loans, government assistance, and other help. Discover the largest source of Maine disability grants to help cover some or all of the money to fund handicap vans or wheelchair van conversions. AMS Vans can provide delivery of your handicap van to Maine and nationwide.

Disability Grants in Maine (ME)
Maine disability grants may or may not allocate funding for wheelchair vans. Check with the local Maine grant provider for more details.

mPower Loans The mPower loan fund, also known as the Kim Wallace Adaptive Equipment Loan Program, is a citizen-funded loan program offering low-interest loans of $240 to $100,000 to assist in purchasing a handicap van.

Maine Cite  The Maine Cite provides information on benefits disabled people can receive, as well as a few resources to find financing for citizens of Maine interested in buying a wheelchair accessible van.

How to Apply for Maine Grants or Mobility Funding
Maine residents seeking assistance with the purchase of mobility van conversions should contact one or more mobility funding programs listed above about disability grants offered. Once complete, AMS Vans is happy to work with one or all mobility funding sources such as grants for the disabled, church money, government funds, veterans’ programs or other financial outlets you have acquired to aid in the purchase of your wheelchair van. Please submit any other mobility funding resources for Maine residents or nationwide to AMS, so we can build the most comprehensive database of financial assistance programs for people with disabilities.

Prepare Your Mobility Equipment For the Colder Weather

wheelchair lifts: automatic and semiautomatic MA, RI, CT, VT, NH & ME

TYPES OF WHEELCHAIR LIFTS

Usage of wheelchair lift can facilitate everyday functioning, eliminating the need to lift the wheelchair and place it into the vehicle with just pulling up to the platform of the lift and be lifted up or down. It is extremely convenient, giving confidence to wheelchair users to go to the places they want to. Wheelchair lifts made a significant and positive change compared to the previous experiences when they didn’t exist.

Wheelchair lifts are advanced mobility systems that have changed the way the disabled move, work and live, being a blessing for users and caregivers equally. They are used for wheelchair accessible vans and other mobility vehicles, known also by the name platform lift, making the travel of wheelchair user much easier and more pleasant. Wheelchair lifts have multiple purposes and can help people with disabilities in many ways, even being adapted according to individual needs in as many ways you need.

They can be automatic and semi-automatic, electric and hydraulic. Automatic one takes care of the folding, unfolding, lowering and raising, while semi-automatic one needs manual operating. Electric wheelchair lifts are easier to maintain than hydraulic ones. They are flexible and easy to install and come with battery back-up. The full benefit of electric wheelchair lift can be felt together with stair and automobile lifts and van ramps. Hydraulic ones don’t need electricity and can function in the case of power failure. However, they require constant maintenance and care.

Wheelchair lifts that are usually used for vans and minivans are called rotary or “swing” lifts because their method of operation involves moving the wheelchair by swinging it up-and-down or inside and outside. There is a great choice of wheelchair lifts, so you should consider all the options, with the respect for your needs and wants, including the decision about whether you want to travel in the wheelchair or in the vehicle seat, which will also mean the difference between installing it inside or outside the van. Both options have advantages and disadvantages.

An outside wheelchair lift is intended for your personal mobile device to be installed outside of the car or wheelchair vans. It will be carried behind, but the way that the driver will have complete road visibility. If you choose an outside lift, it will require very small modifications of the vehicle. The lift is usually attached to a trailer hitch on the rear.

The type of the wheelchair lifts has to be compatible with your van. There are some special features that can make a difference in your everyday functioning, for example having a back-up lifting or lowering mechanism if the main drive system fails. When you sort out your needs, it’s easier to make a decision about the choice of the corresponding advanced mobility system.

Lifts

In this section we explain the various types of lifts available on the market. There are advantages and disadvantages to all of these lifts. It is highly recommended that you get to know the lifts available, the product lines, your nearest dealers and their qualifications. If you purchase a lift only to find that there is no one within a reasonable distance to provide service and repairs you will soon regret that purchase. Always consult experts at VMi New England Mobility Center BEFORE you buy.

There are basically two types of wheelchair lifts:

Platform Lift
Rotary (or Swing) Lift

In addition, these two lifts come in various types. Hydraulic, electrical mechanical, gravity and those that combine hydraulic and electrical.

The hydraulic lift uses a pump and a cylinder filled with fluid pressure, which enables the pump to raise and lower the lift along with the power from the van’s battery.

The electricall mechanical lift operates either by chain or screw rod, with power provided solely by the battery.

The gravity lift has power to lift and fold, while gravity lowers the lift platform to ground level.

All of these lifts depend, at least in part, on the battery. If your battery is weak or dead, the lifts will not work.

If you are a scooter user, measure your scooter’s length. Some scooters are longer than the standard platform on lifts. An extended platform is available to accommodate these longer scooters. Be aware, though, that this could require a raised roof, too.

Platform Lift
This lift is stored either in the side, the rear, or under the floor of a van. The lift requires two doors or a sliding door on the side of a van. The platforms have expanded metal in the upper half of the platform for better visibility when the lift is folded and the van is being driven.

Lifts stored under the van require modifications to the exhaust system, gas tank, etc., depending on the make of the van. Only the pump and motor are located inside vans using under-the-floor lifts.

Platforms may also be different, depending on the lift. There are both solid and fold-in-half platforms. The fold-in-half platform folds to give better accessibility to the doors. Some fold-in-half platform lifts are mounted on a single post.

Be aware of the differences between automatic and semi-automatic lifts. A fully automatic lift will fold, unfold, lower and raise by operating a switch located inside (on the side of the lift) or outside (on the side of the van), and, in most cases, on the dash. A semi-automatic lift requires manual folding and unfolding of the platform. Using a hand-held pendant switch, the platform can be mechanically lowered and raised. You MUST have assistance with this type of lift, as it is designed for passengers who will not be riding alone.

Rotary Lift (or “Swing Lift”)
The platform of this type of lift never folds. Instead it “swings” inside, outside and up-and-down. The rotary lift swings into the van and the lift platform sits on the floor in the middle of the van.

Some individuals like the rotary lift because of the parking convenience. Less room is needed to enter or exit the van. Also, this lift is mounted on one post inside the van. The post controls the swinging action of the lift. One of the drawbacks to the rotary lift, though, is the cross-over bar. On some rotary lifts this bar connects the platform to the swing bar, limiting space for loading and unloading on the platform.

Switches serve very necessary functions in this lift. In most cases there are three switches on the dash. They operate the lift as well as provide an open and close function for the power door openers. The motors fit into or beside the doors and are manufactured to fit only one brand of lift.

Back-up System
You may also want to purchase a back-up system for your lift. Many government agencies require a lift to have a back-up system for use in emergencies. With a back-up system the lift can be manually manuvered and users can exit the van with assistance from an outsider. Most back-up systems are herd to operate alone, so expect to need someone’s help.

Safety Flaps
All lifts have an extension or “curb” at the edge of the platform which is approximately three-to-four inches high. This safety flap is designed specifically to prevent the wheelchair or scooter from rolling past the edge of the platform.

Finally, when purchasing a lift, be sure to check on the use of raised doors. If needed, your lift will have to be ordered for the extended doors. Determine if this is necessary before completing your vehicle equipment decisions. It will help you avoid very costly errors.

Again, be sure to consult the experts at VMi New England Mobility Center BEFORE you buy a wheelchair van or wheelchair vehicle lift to prevent costly and frustrating mistakes.

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