Traditionally, mobility has been a challenge for handicapped individuals. While mobility aids and equipment have certainly been developed – wheelchairs, electric scooters, etc. – it can be hard for a person with physical handicaps to feel a sense of independence and the sense adventure that comes from being able to get out on the road, discovering new places and experiencing new things.  However, that is changing due to recent advances in handicap transportation technologies.

Increasing Selection of Mobility Vans For Handcaip Individuals

The driving force behind this change is the fact that a wider range of wheelchair vans are now becoming available.  These are usually full-size conversion vans, although you can also find wheelchair accessible minivans that offer many mobility benefits.  How do these mobility wheelchair vans benefit individuals with physical handicaps?  What makes a handicap accessible van a smart buy?  Such a vehicle can offer increased independence, mobility and excitement into life through the ability to travel more, with much more convenience and ease.

Creating A New Handicap Accessible Mobility Van

Creating a mobility van to accommodate handicap individuals is a multi-step process. Height and depth are often among the very first conversions made to a van destined to become a handicap vehicle.  The van floor has to be lowered considerably, so it ensures that wheelchair ramps can be installed with the lowest possible angle for ingress and egress.  The ceiling also needs to be raised to accommodate the greater height of handicapped individuals seated in a wheelchair.  This ensures that individuals within a wheelchair have a direct line of sight out of the windows of the mobility van.  Another change required in a wheelchair accessible van is a modification to the driver and passenger front seats.

The mounting systems for these two seats are usually altered so that the chairs (and their underlying supports) are removable.  This helps to ensure that the handicapped individual can ride comfortably in either the passenger or the driver position in the mobility van.  Wheelchair tie-downs are also installed during this phase, allowing the wheelchair to be secured to the van’s floor.  This offers considerable safety enhancement, and makes sure that wheelchairs are not left free to roll around in the van, which could lead to a very dangerous situation even during normal driving conditions.

Additional modifications may also be made to the mobility vans as well.  For example, a scooter lift is often installed at the van’s side door, ensuring that any scooter can be easily loaded and unloaded.  The steering wheel and/or the pedal configuration may also be modified, allowing handicapped individuals the ability to drive their own vehicle.

Offering Handicap Individuals Freedom To Hit The Road

Taken together, these adaptive changes ensure that handicapped individuals are able to regain independence and enjoy a renewed sense of freedom.  In short, adaptive, wheelchair accessible mobility vans offer a renewed sense of adventure and a heightened quality of life for individuals with handicaps.