subject: All about Wheelchair Lifts and Accommodating the Passenger or Driver Needs [print this page] All about Wheelchair Lifts and Accommodating the Passenger or Driver Needs
Anyone with a mobility issue who has shopped for or owned a handicap van is probably familiar with wheelchair lifts. What is a wheelchair lift for those who do not know?
A wheelchair lift is a powered device for raising a wheelchair, and sometimes its occupant, in order to navigate certain obstacles or to transport the disabled individual into and out of vehicles.
A wheelchair lift, also referred to as a platform lift, is an excellent tool for assisting handicap individuals in boarding mobility access vehicles, but a wheelchair ramp will often suffice just as well and more affordably.
Wheelchair lifts are very useful for those with limited mobility, and many accessibility standards have been put into place so that even public transportation providers must meet certain requirements in certain areas when it comes to providing service to the disabled regarding power lifts.
While this may not seem important to many individuals, it would certainly become so if they suddenly found themselves trying to travel about with no means of being able to easily access or exit vehicles without special assistance.
Wheelchair lifts were designed to help limited mobility individuals make their way to their jobs, their schools, and to purchase groceries and other necessities independently, without having to ask friends or relatives to accompany them or do their shopping for them.
Being confined or restricted to a wheelchair is not something everyone is accustomed to doing. Until actually experiencing what limited mobility is like, it is important to understand what the wheelchair lift contributes to the life quality of those who need them.
The most common wheelchair van modifications include the lowering of the van floor and the addition of ramps or wheelchair lifts to make it easier for disabled individuals to enter and exit a vehicle.
Different types of lifts are available depending on their intended use and the type of vehicle they are to be installed on. When having a wheelchair lift installed on your vehicle, make sure you inquire about the load capacity and the safety precautions involved with the use of the lift.
Many handicap van modifications have to do with whether or not the intended disability passenger is in fact a driver/operator of the vehicle or a passenger. Your vehicle conversion expert will need to know the specifics of your particular situation in order to provide you with the best van possible for your needs.
