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.

When seeking to buy a handicap accessible van to give you back your mobility, selecting the right dealership to work with can be the determining factor in whether the wheelchair van buying experience is pleasurable or a not so pleasurable. Therefore, you want to be sure that the handicap accessible van dealer you are working with makes the buying process as straightforward as possible, providing quality service in assisting you in finding the best van to meet your handicap needs.  In order to make sure that you are able to find the right handicap accessible van, equipped with the right mobility equipment you should purchase from a National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association Quality Assurance Program Dealer, also known as an NMEDA QAP dealer.

Here’s What Differentiates NMEDA QAP Dealers From Other Dealers

First, in order for an auto dealer to participate in the NMEDA QAP, they must be of very high quality and consistently maintain rigorous standards.  Here are a few of the key points to consider.  In order for an auto dealer to be part of the QAP, they must adhere to the following:

Certified Welders Perform Your Van Conversions

Wheelchair accessible vans are often heavily modified.  The floor must be lowered and the ceiling must be raised in some cases.  However, NMEDA QAP dealers are required to maintain certified welders for these conversions, in order to ensure the highest quality work.

Knowledgeable Certified Technicians Are Always On Staff

In addition to certified welders, all NMEDA QAP dealers are required to have certified technicians on staff.  This ensures that the technicians are fully trained on how to install adaptive handicap equipment, as well as on how all the adaptive handicap equipment the dealership installs works, and how to service it throughout the life of the vehicle.

24-7 Service Is A Requirement At the Dealer

Another interesting point is the all NMEDA QAP dealers are required to provide 24-hour service to their customers.  This ensures that your handicap accessible van will get the servicing it needs whenever it needs it, helping to keep you comfortable, safe and on the road when you need to be.

Rigorous Third Party Vehicle Inspection

All of these NMEDA QAP requirements are excellent things, but without some sort of verification, they don’t hold much weight.  However, all NMEDA QAP dealers are required to be inspected and certified by a third-party firm, to ensure that they remain in compliance with these strict quality guidelines.  In addition, the inspection ensures that the company remains within the standards of the ADA, NHTSA, FMVSS and other agencies.

Choosing An NMEDA QAP Dealer Ensures Quality

As you can see, earning the NMEDA QAP dealer distinction is a lengthy, intensive process.  Any handicap accessible van dealership within this program can provide you with superior service, as well as with the peace of mind you need. Visit the NMEDA website for a list of dealers or visit IMED Mobility – A NMEDA QAP dealer that can ship new and used handicap accessible vans nationwide today!