Like most new-car buyers, Richard A. Pine was excited to get the keys to his vehicle, a 2001 Ford Windstar van, recently. But not just because of its up-to-the-minute features, such as the low-tire-pressure warning system and the anti-lock brakes. The real drawing card for Pine was the vehicle's built-in ramp.
The ramp, as well as other modifications made to the van, allow Pine to maneuver his wheelchair up and into the back of it. He can then turn around the driver's seat with the push of a button, and hoist himself from the wheelchair into it. The wheelchair sits behind the driver's seat until he needs it again at his destination.
Pine, 54, a former property master in the movie business, has a hereditary form of the lung disease emphysema known as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Diagnosed a decade ago, Pine noticed recently that his energy was lagging and his breathing becoming more difficult. The Van Nuys, California resident began to use supplementary oxygen around the clock.
"I went from using a scooter to using a wheelchair," he says.
To stay mobile, he had to find ways to make his transportation more accessible.
New Ruling Is Good News
Nearly one in five people, or about 53 million people, told the U.S. Census Bureau in 1997 that they had some form of disability, including conditions that make driving a traditional vehicle difficult or impossible, according to a report released in March 2001, "Americans With Disabilities: 1997." An estimated 383,000 vehicles on the road are modified for use by people with disabilities, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). Some are modified for disabled drivers; others are adapted for disabled passengers.
Whether the person in need of help is the driver or a passenger, there is much good news. This month (April 2001), regulations governing the modification of vehicles for those with disabilities, proposed in 1998 by the NHTSA, take effect and are expected to clear up some gray areas.
Technology is constantly improving, and engineers involved in adapting vehicles for the disabled are always seeking to improve the modifications and expand the range of vehicles that can be made accessible. The modifying industry -- which includes dealers and manufacturers who adapt vehicles -- polices itself, so consumers can turn to organizations such as the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) to find companies that adhere to industry standards. Besides NMEDA, associations such as the Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists and some auto manufacturers stand ready to lend guidance. NHTSA is another source of help.
In February, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced the final ruling covering the regulatory process for modifiers -- the companies that specialize in adapting vehicles for those with disabilities. The lengthy ruling, described in detail on the NHTSA Web site, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/adaptive/Inoper/Index.html, identifies which features can be safely altered, covering in detail what can and can't be done to the driver's seat, signals, steering wheels, brakes and other systems.
The regulations cover new and used vehicles, says an NHTSA representative.
The new regulations are expected to make it easier for modifiers to know what they are allowed to do and what they're not, says Becky Plank, executive director of the NMEDA.
Blueprint for Mobility
Those who hope to make a vehicle more accessible should first be sure that the vehicle they have their eye on is capable of being modified the way they need it done, says Plank. She frequently gets calls from consumers who have bought a vehicle and then find out, too late, it can't be adapted in the way they need.
Across the country, about 400 businesses specialize in modification of vehicles. (Many of them are listed on the NMEDA Web site, http://www.nmeda.org, in its state-by-state listing of members.)
Confer with a modifier to see what adaptations can be done for your particular challenge and which vehicles are best, experts suggest.
The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists, http://www.driver-ed.org, maintains a list of members who conduct driver evaluations for people with disabilities. To find a name of someone in your area, telephone the association, (608) 884-8833, or send an e-mail to webmasater@driver-ed.org.
Fitting the Vehicle to the Person
It's crucial to adapt a vehicle to accommodate specific needs, says Scott Deacon, a biomedical engineer and president of Advanced Mobility, a modifier in Van Nuys, California, who adapted Pine's Windstar van. On a recent workday, several vehicles sat in the work area of the company's garage; the owners all had different needs. And Deacon knows each personal story, because he and his staff first talk to the person to understand exactly what modifications are needed to allow the best mobility.
A full-size Ford Van, for instance, is being fitted for a college student who is a quadriplegic, says Deacon.
"He has a limited range of motion and strength," he says. "He can't lift his arm." So Deacon's crew has installed a steering device that allows the driver to place his wrist inside and exert very little strength to steer the wheel. He will be able to start the car with the push of a button.
A voice scanning device will enable him to make turns, turn on the windshield wipers and perform other functions just by speaking his intent to do so. The wheelchair is taken into the van by a lift and then secured into the driver's seat.
Nearby is a 2001 Chevy Astro Van, which is being fitted with hand controls for the brake and gas so the paralyzed owner can remain in the driver's seat. The floor was lowered 10 inches for easier wheelchair access.
In the showroom nearby are vehicles with modified passenger seats that turn out to allow easier transfer of a passenger in a scooter or wheelchair.
What's Available
Removing a passenger seat from a van to accommodate a wheelchair is common. So is the addition of a throttle-and-brake system, which enables the driver to operate the vehicle by a lever. Ramps can be hydraulic or electrical.
Several advances in the past few years should be applauded, says Mike Stephens, vice president of Adaptive Driving Systems, a modification business in Chatsworth, California. A new type of lift, for instance, can go entirely under the van rather than inside.
"It doesn't look like a handicapped van," says Stephens. And that's important to most of his customers, he says. It's also easier to park, says Plank of NMEDA.
Magnetic entry is another popular feature, allowing the driver or attendant to wave a special magnet over the switches, located in the rear tail light, so the doors will open and the ramp will deploy.
While vans and minivans are the vehicles most often adapted to meet the needs of disabled drivers and passengers, some companies also modify other vehicles. Recently, some companies have begun to modify the Chrysler PT Cruiser so that it is wheelchair accessible. But Plank says it's best modified for a child's wheelchair, not an adult's, because of the limited space inside. Vans and minivans, rather than cars, are most often adapted, due to the extra room needed to accommodate a wheelchair.
Finding a Modifier
A quality assurance program has been developed by NMEDA, Plank says. The organization sets up site inspections of dealers, conducted by an independent firm, and lists the modifiers who meet the standards on its Web site. Or, consumers can call NMEDA at (800) 833-0427.
The site inspections began just four years ago, says Red Plank, coordinator for NMEDA's quality assurance program, and husband of Becky Plank. The departments of rehabilitation in six states now require modifiers they work with to meet NMEDA's quality assurance program standards, Becky Plank says. The six are: Connecticut, Ohio, Georgia, New Hampshire, New Mexico and New York. Two other state departments of rehabilitation, in Louisiana and South Carolina, require modifiers they work with to meet standards at least as stringent as those set by NMEDA, Red Plank says. Other states developed standards in the past, he says. Since the NMEDA standards were set, some states have adopted them as their own, he adds.
Getting Help
A brochure, "Adapting Motor Vehicles for People With Disabilities," has been produced by NHTSA and can be viewed online at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/adaptive/brochure/index.html. Costs vary by modification and the type of vehicle. A new vehicle modified with adaptive equipment can range from about $20,000 to $80,000, including the vehicle price plus modification fees, the NHTSA says.
Customers often dip into savings or re-mortgage their houses to pay the bill, modifiers say. Or they may get help from insurance company settlements, workers' compensation claims or their state department of vocational rehabilitation.
Some vehicle manufacturers offer rebates or reimbursements on new-vehicle modifications. Among them, according to NHTSA, are Audi, DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Saturn and Volkswagen.
Resources
- Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists
P.O. Box 49
Edgerton, WI 53534
(608) 884-8833; fax: (608) 884-4851
webmaster@driver-ed.org
http://www.driver-ed.org
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
400 7th Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20590
(888) DASH-2-DOT (327-4236)
webmaster@nhtsa.dot.gov
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov
- National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association
11211 N. Nebraska Avenue, Suite A-5
Tampa, FL 33612
(800) 833-0427 or (813) 977-6603; fax: (813) 977-6402
nmeda@aol.com
http://www.nmeda.org
- Audi, (800) 822-2834)
- DaimlerChrysler, (800) 255-9877
- Ford Motor Co., (800) 952-2248
- General Motors, (800) 323-9935
- Saturn, (800) 553-6000
- Volkswagen, (800) 822-8987
Kathleen Doheny, a Los Angeles-based journalist who specializes in health topics, writes "Good Carma," a health and consumer guide for the Los Angeles Times' automotive section.
