Tag Archives: VT

Three Questions to Ask Your Mobility Consultant about Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles

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When beginning your search for a wheelchair van in MA, RI, CT, VT, NH & ME, it is important to know which questions to ask your Mobility Consultant. This could be the first time that you are going through this process, and VMi New England along side Automotive Innovations wants you to have a memorable experience.

We encourage your questions to help make purchasing your wheelchair accessible vehicle enjoyable and educational. Here are five of our most frequently asked questions proposed to our Mobility Consultants:

Do you have a service department for wheelchair van repairs?
Our technicians are highly trained and certified and are able to handle any problems you may have with your wheelchair accessible van. By adhering to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), becoming a Quality Assurance Program (QAP) facility, Automotive Innovations has shown its dedication to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities every day.

Can I test drive a wheelchair accessible vehicle before I purchase one?
Yes you can! Our “Try Before You Buy” program means that you can test out our vehicles before you make your purchase, so that you can determine which vehicle will suit your needs. Please contact us for more details.

How do you determine which wheelchair accessible vehicle will be right for me?
Our consultants take every step to get to know our customers to ensure that you purchase the right wheelchair accessible vehicle for you. Our Mobility Consultants go through a detailed step-by-step process to learn about your specific needs in order to get you the proper wheelchair van type, size and modifications to your wheelchair van.This mobility update has been brought to you by Vmi New England and Automotive Innovations your Bridgewater, MA New England NMEDA Mobility Dealer – Need some information on how to make your vehicle wheelchair accessible or upgraded with the latest and most convenient features?

Vermont Mobility Rebate Resources

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Vermont Disability Grants and Funds for Wheelchair Vans

Financial Aid Resources for Handicap Vans for Vermont (VT) Residents
If you’re a resident of Vermont wondering how you’re going to afford a wheelchair van, you’ve come to the right page. We’ve gathered lots of information on resources for disability grants in your state. Whether you aspire to own a handicap van or to outfit one with accessibility conversions including: scooter or wheelchair lifts to turning automotive seating systems to adaptive driving controls and everything in between, we’ve got you covered.

Below is a compilation of the primary Vermont-based sources of disability grants and other aid for individuals. A few of the resources don’t provide grants to individuals themselves, but they will prove enormously useful in locating financial aid options for a handicap van you might not uncover yourself during research.

In addition, contact Vermont-based branches of disability specific foundations and other groups that work with people who have a disability. They often offer grants themselves or they can help you locate some to apply for.

Sources for Vermont Disability Grants and Assistance:

Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL)
DAIL is an important contact in the Vermont state government for elderly and disabled residents. They provide information, services and other assistance. Get in touch for help locating available disability grants for which you may qualify.

103 South Main Street
Weeks Building
Waterbury, VT 05671-1601
(802) 871-3350

New England Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Center
Vermont residents looking for disability grants to apply toward a wheelchair van should definitely contact their branch of the National Network of ADA Centers, the New England ADA Center. It strives to preserve and further the independence, self-determination, rights and quality of life of the state’s disabled population.

180-200 Portland Street
Suite 1
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 695-1225 or (800) 949-4232
ADAinfo@NewEnglandADA.org

Office of Veterans Affairs (VA), State of Vermont
Vermont’s VA is your go-to place if you’re an in-state disabled US veteran. Along with the many other types of support, services and aid offered through the VA, disability grants are available to be applied to a wheelchair van or handicapped accessibility modifications. Grants are regularly awarded to veterans who become disabled in the line of duty or as a result of VA medical services.

118 State Street
Montpelier, Vermont 05620-4401
(802) 828-3379 or (888) 666-9844

Vermont Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC)
ADRCs are joint efforts of the US Administration on Community Living and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Each state has its own division, with multiple offices serving different counties. Elderly and disabled Vermont residents will find this to be an exceptionally useful resource when trying to acquire a wheelchair van. Follow the link to find your county office’s contact information.

Vermont Area Agencies on Aging (AAA)
If you’re a senior citizen living in Vermont, this is a key resource for you. Through a variety of services and support, your state’s AAA helps you remain as independent and comfortable as possible during your later years.

30 Washington St.
Barre, VT 05641
(802) 479-0531 or (800) 642-5119
info@cvaa.org

Vermont Assistive Technology Program (ATP)
Vermont’s ATP provides support to disabled state residents who require assistive technology, including handicapped-friendly transportation. They offer training, information, technical assistance and more. They also loan out some assistive technology for short-term trials. Ask about where you can get disability grants to apply toward your wheelchair van.

Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC)
The National Association of DDCs operates state-based branches in most states. This Council is available to all Vermont residents who meet the definition of a person with a developmental disability as spelled out by federal law. They work tirelessly to protect and promote a high quality of life for people with these afflictions. This includes offering individual grants to help maintain mobility and other aspects of independence.

103 South Main Street
One North, Suite 117
Waterbury VT 05671-0206
(802) 828-1310 or (888) 317-2006
vtddc@state.vt.us

Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
Vermont’s DVR is dedicated to keeping the state’s disabled residents gainfully employed. Through a variety of hands-on approaches, the agency helps ensure you can find and keep a job. If this requires getting a handicap van, disability grants may be available to you. Search for an office location by city at the DVR website or reach the main office at:

103 South Main Steet, Weeks 1A
Waterbury, VT 05671-2303
(866) 879-6757

Vermont Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC)
Like its counterparts in all other states, the Vermont SILC is a legally mandated, nonprofit, non-governmental organization controlled by consumers. It is run by a council of 21 disabled members. It endeavors to promote the independence, self-determination and equality of persons with disabilities.

P.O. Box 56
Winooski, VT 05404
(802) 233-4908

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.

Links

Office of Rehabilitation Services  
- (401) 421-7005 (voice)
- (401) 421-7016 (TDD)

Vermont Disability Grants Handicap Funding VT
Get handicap funding such as grants, disabled loans, mobility finance options, government programs, and other funds for accessible transportation. Find the largest source of grants for the disabled to cover some or all the costs associated with funding new or used handicap vans or wheelchair van conversions. Once you’ve secured the funding for your wheelchair van, AMS Vans is happy to deliver your handicap van to Vermont or nationwide.

Disability Grants in Vermont (VT)
Vermont disability grant programs may or may not provide funding for a handicap van. Check with the local Vermont grant provider for a complete list of requirements.

Opportunities Credit Union The Opportunities Credit Union provides affordable financing and terms for disabled people living in Vermont to purchase a wheelchair van.

How to Apply for Vermont Grants or Mobility Funding
Vermont residents in search of handicap grants, mobility financing, disabled loans, government assistance, or other disability programs to buy a wheelchair van should contact the foundations listed. We will work with all approved grants and funding resources you’ve received to get you your handicap van or accessible conversion as soon as possible. If we missed a grant program you’re familiar with, please let us know so we can add it to our list of mobility funding sources in Vermont.

Prepare Your Mobility Equipment For the Colder Weather

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Cold temperatures not only slow wheelchair users down, but can also slow down their vans and accessible equipment. For example, if you use a hydraulic wheelchair lift, you may have noticed that the colder the weather, the slower the lift reacts. The cold thickens the fluid, making it move slower through hoses, valves and cylinders.

There’s not much you can do about that, but preparing other equipment for cold weather is important to help avoid accidents and breakdowns.

If you live in the New England area · call our Mobility Center today (508) 697-8324 · We’ll rust proof your wheelchair accessible vehicle, give you an oil change, tune-up, and/or semi-annual ramp/lift service and have any other accessible equipment checked before the temperature dips. If you ask we can also check your battery, antifreeze level, heater, brakes, defroster and thermostat.

Do It Yourself:

Purchase winter wiper blades that cut through snow and ice.
Keep the gas tank at least half full. It reduces condensation and makes your vehicle easier to start on cold mornings.
Buy tires that have MS, M+S, M/S or M&S on them, meaning they meet the Rubber Manufacturers Association guidelines and can bite through mud and snow.
For better traction and control, rotate tires so the best ones are in the front.
Get an electric engine block heater. It warms the engine so the motor can start. It connects to normal AC power overnight or before driving. In extremely cold climates, electrical outlets are sometimes found in public or private parking lots.
Cold weather is tough on accessible van batteries. Buy one with greater starting power, higher cold cranking amps and reserve capacity for energy when the engine isn’t running.
Use synthetic oil to make starting a cold engine easier.

Before you drive:

Keep rock salt on hand to melt ice off walkways for a safer wheelchair ride.
Clean the snow off the roof and hood so it doesn’t “avalanche” onto the windshield and block your vision.
Clear the head and tail lights for best visibility.
Scrape the ice off mirrors and windows.

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Here at VMi New England Mobility Center and Automotive Innovations we’ll service and repair your wheelchair accessible vehicle and/or equipment even if you didn’t buy it from us! So bring us your mobility van no matter the year (old or new), chassis (Honda, Dodge, Toyota, Ford, Chrysler, excreta..), or conversion (Side Entry, Rear Entry, VMI, Braun, Ricon, Rampvan, Elorado, Amerivan, excreta..)!!

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

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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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