Tag Archives: wheelchair

Driving Safely In Winter

Unfortunately, snow isn’t the only thing to watch out for while behind the wheel of a wheelchair accessible vehicle during the colder months. There’s also slush, black ice and blizzards. Fortunately, with the correct driving techniques, each can be handled stress free and safely.

Be Prepared
First and foremost, if you’ll be driving in the snow anytime soon, be prepared. This means having you car winterized before it’s needed. Depending on your location this can mean installing both snow tires and winter windshield wipers. Be sure to contact your local NMEDA dealer to find out if there are any special precautions you should take to get your handicap van ready for the snow. Additionally, have your battery, defroster, and antifreeze checked and stock your vehicle with emergency supplies like blankets, flashlights, food, water, shovel, sand, and first aid. Also, it’s a good idea to always have at least a half tank of gas. This gives the car some extra weight to help prevent skidding, but it’s also is safer in the event of getting lost or stranded. Finally, be sure to plan for extra time to get to your destination. You should never feel rushed or feel as if you have an excuse to speed.

Driving in Snow
First things first, slow down! Ten to fifteen miles per hour is a good speed of thumb when driving in snow. Always give yourself more stopping room because even in mild conditions, a little bit of skidding can be common. Also, try not to use cruise control. Your reaction time will not only be delayed, but if your vehicle begins to slide it will continue to accelerate. Make turns gently and avoid changing lanes unless necessary. If you must switch lanes, turn your wheel gradually to avoid fish tailing.

In the event you do slide off the road, don’t immediately try to gun it out or else you may dig yourself in. First, try a gentle acceleration. If this doesn’t get you out, stop and turn your wheel side to side to push snow away from the tires. Your best bet is to then use a shovel to clear snow and then spread sand for traction, however if you have limited mobility or use a wheelchair (meaning maneuvering in the snow might be difficult), it might be best to call a family member or emergency road service to help you get back on the road.

Driving on Ice
Iced over roads are one of the most dangerous aspects of driving during the winter. Black ice is hard to spot because it’s almost invisible, but if you begin to slide over it, take your foot off both the brake and the accelerator. Let your car slide and try to keep the car straight until you get traction back. If you lose control and start going off the road, try to guide your car toward an area with minimal damage possibilities. In general, look out for shady spots where the sun can’t melt the ground because black ice is more likely found here.

Driving in a Blizzard
If a blizzard hits while you’re out on the road, turn on your lights so that other drivers can easily see you, avoid changing lanes and be sure to pull over if you feel unsafe. If you do pull over, just make sure to get away from traffic and turn on your hazard lights.

If possible, avoid driving in the snow completely. If you do need to go out, many counties and towns list what roads have been plowed and salted online, so check to see if you can plan a safer route.

Hopefully with these tips you’ll now have a better understanding of how to handle your vehicle on winter roads. In general, if there’s any snow, ice, or slush on the road, driving slower and giving enough stopping room will eliminate many of the problems you might face. Add some common sense and good judgment, and you’ll be well on your way to mastering inclement weather.

Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle: Seating Options

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There are many options you will need to consider when purchasing a wheelchair accessible vehicle, especially if you are a first time buyer. It’s our job to make the process easier.

There are several seating options to consider; first, you and your family or your caregiver will need to decide where you want to or are going to sit. This depends on whether you are going to drive from your wheelchair and/or if you are going to be a passenger.

Knowing if you will be transferred into a seat or if you will remain in your wheelchair while traveling is also an important factor.

Seating in a Side Entry vs. Seating in a Rear Entry

Side Entry

Offers both mid-section and front seat options (with tie-downs)
There are five passenger seats available for family members in a side entry van.
A total of six people can be seated in a side entry wheelchair accessible van.
The side entry can comfortable fit a wheelchair or power wheelchair, where as a scooter has a less roomier fit.

Rear Entry

Only offers the mid-section to rear of the vehicle (with tie-downs)
There are four passenger seats available for family members in a rear entry van.
Up to six people can be seated in a rear entry wheelchair accessible van.
The rear entry can comfortable fit a wheelchair, power wheelchair or a scooter, but
If you have a long wheelchair or scooter the rear entry is ideal with over six feet of space, no turning to face forward is necessary.

If you have any questions our Mobility Center can further explain and demonstrate all seating options.

Please feel free to consult us with any additional information you need regarding wheelchair vans and mobility equipment, it’s what we’re here for.

Benefits of Owning an Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle

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Safety
Safety is a universal concern for people with disAbilities and their caregivers. Many caregivers experience chronic back and joint pain from years of wheelchair lifts. And far too often there are stories of people fearful of loading and unloading their wheelchairs. Mobility vehicles are designed with a dedication to safety. Not only do ramp systems remove the liability, wear and tear and exhaustion of a lift, but brands like VMI adhere to the safety standards and qualifications of original equipment manufacturers like Honda, Toyota, Chrysler and Dodge.

A vehicle conversion from a company like VMI must maintain and provide the same safety ratings, post-conversion, as it did when the original model was created. That means collision safety and design is held to a very high standard. So there’s simply no reason to risk your personal safety or the livelihood of your passengers in an outdated vehicle.

Independence
If the daunting process of wheelchair lifts and transports kept you from leaving home in the past or the frustration of coordinating shuttles and third party transportation limits your lifestyle, look no further.

Mobility vehicles empower opportunity and independence. Frankly, when transportation is a possibility rather than a limitation, the world gets a whole lot larger. Independent wheelchair users with reliable mobility vehicles hold the power to call the shots on their own life. They can drive where they need to, how they want to, when they want to. A mobility vehicle isn’t just a mechanism to take you from point A to B; A mobility vehicle is an entryway to possibility.

Increased Space and Flexibility
Most modern mobility vehicles feature side-entry and front door benefits which allow an array of seating arrangements and interior flexibility. With such added space, nearly any wheelchair — even power chairs — can fit in the cabin while still leaving room for the rest of the family.

Vehicles such as VMI’s Toyota Sienna Access360 have been engineered to promote a full range of motion and maneuverability for power chairs inside the vehicle, eliminating the need to hastily rearrange and remove seats for transports. Obstruction-free doorways and head clearance also pave the way for an enjoyable transition to and from the vehicle.

Simplicity and Ease-of-Use
Whether you are a caregiver or an independent wheelchair user, mobility vehicles have practical answers.

Through the addition of manual ramp systems and automated, in-floor ramp technology, transportation doesn’t have to remain a daily hassle. Life often throws bigger dilemmas our way. Mobility vehicles make sure transportation isn’t one of those.

The Northstar E by VMI is a great example of a vehicle that was engineered with simplicity and ease-of-use at the forefront of its design. Caregivers can easily remove the vehicle’s ramp system without physical strain or contemplation. The process is intuitive and quick. Loading and unloading a van can be easily accomplished in a matter of minutes without sacrificing time or energy for the caregiver and loved one.

Mobility vehicles can even be outfitted with aftermarket additions such as remote start and keyless entry to further simplify the transportation situation for independent wheelchair users and caregivers.

The History of the Wheelchair

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From its early inception to modern design, the world of wheelchairs and mobility solutions has rolled through a very interesting evolution.

We live in a day and age where technology has forged the reality of power chairs, smart chairs and beyond, but history tells us the first known wheelchair, then known as the invalids chair, has developed into an extremely useful resource for people with disAbilities and has fostered a simultaneous campaign to raise awareness and understanding for its users.

The Early Days
It’s predicted that the very first renditions of the wheelchair rolled out in China, though Phillip II of Spain is largely attributed to its mainstream acceptance. Spanish inventors designed the chair for Phillip II, who was suffering from Gout.

No surprise that royalty got its own renditions.

As for the commonwealth, mobility solutions were largely the responsibility of the families and servants of the loved one with a disAbility or up to the individual with the disAbility, themselves. German watchmaker and paraplegic, Stephan Farfler was one such individual who designed a personal solution in 1665. Farfler engineered a hand cranked tricycle — called the manumotive carriage — which is said to have also inspired modern day bicycles.

Bath Chairs and Beyond
In 1783, Englishmen John Dawson invented another three wheeled rendition which he so creatively named the Bath Chair, after the town of Bath, England. The contraption appeared somewhat reminiscent of old-fashioned bathtubs and could be drawn by animals or pushed by hand.

By the late 1800s however, the clunky Bath Chairs were due for a revisit and patents started surfacing for chairs that utilized two larger wheels in the back and smaller casters in front to achieve maneuverability and better comfort for its users. Rubber wheels and pushrims were also added for self-propulsion and independent use.

Wheelchairs as We Know Them
At the turn of the 20th century, wheelchairs began to take the shape of our common perceptions, largely influenced by their need for wounded soldiers and veterans, ripples of the early modern warfare. During these years of conflict, the world experienced an influx in amputations and battle wounds that sparked a growing need for mobility solutions.

In 1916, British inventors were already designing early power chairs and in 1932, Harry Jennings engineered the world’s first folding wheelchair out of tubular steel.

Following the Second World War, Canadian inventor, George Klein, pioneered the world’s first electric power chair to enable veterans returning from battle.

Nowadays technology has empowered wheelchair conversion vans, electric lifts for people with disAbilities, prototype exoskeletons and beyond. From its humble beginnings to modern marvels, the history of wheelchairs has made a grand impact on the world around us.

How One Toys ‘R’ Us Trip Brought Mobility to Hundreds of Disabled Kids

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These $200 alternatives to power wheelchairs are helping physically impaired kids get moving.

Cole Galloway’s workspace at the University of Delaware resembles a ransacked toy store. There are piles of plastic tubing, swim noodles, stuffed animals, and battery-powered Jeep and Barbie cars everywhere. But Galloway, 48, is a physical therapy professor and infant behavior expert whose lab has a very clear mission: to provide mobility to children with cognitive or physical disabilities.

Galloway started his infant behavior lab to study how children learn to move their bodies. He was particularly interested in finding ways to close what he calls “an exploration gap” — the difference between typically developing children and those who suffer from mobility issues due to conditions like cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. In 2007 Sunil Agrawal, a professor of mechanical engineering at the university, approached Galloway in a conversation he says went something like this: I’ve got small robots. You’ve got small babies. I wonder if we can do something together.

The two professors started building power mobility robots that let disabled children explore their surroundings with greater confidence and independence. But due to the cost and heft of the parts, their early vehicles cost tens of thousands of dollars and weighed up to 150 pounds, making them inaccessible to the families who needed them the most. Galloway’s solution to those problems came to him during a visit to Toys ‘R’ Us, where he saw he could shift his vision of “babies driving robots” to the lower tech “babies driving race cars.” It was then that Go Baby Go was born.

Unlike electric wheelchairs, which are usually reserved by kids above age three, Galloway’s cars can be used in the critical early years of development. He estimates that so far Go Baby Go has retrofitted an estimated 100 toy cars, a small dent for the more than half a million American children under the age of five who have mobility problems. To spread his mission, Galloway has traveled across the country, posted YouTube videos and spoken with dozens of parents. He hopes that others can learn from his work and build cars of their own: “If you’re not going to drop what you’re doing and come work for us, at least contact us — we’ll send you everything we have.”