The Honda Odyssey is one of many quality options when selecting a side-entry wheelchair van. This is a BraunAbility Entervan conversion.

Automated Fold-Out Ramp 

Minivan conversions with fold-out ramps can be either automated or manually deployed. Most van conversions utilize some type of automated or “automatic” system with a push button or key-fob to operate an electric motor that is used to fold down and fold up the ramp.

Certified Mobility Consultants

Most quality providers will have consulting staff on hand in their stores to work with clients in helping to explain different mobility options and with selecting the right van or equipment. Certified Mobility Consultants (also known as CMCs) have gone through specific training with the various mobility equipment manufacturers in order to properly demonstrate the use of the products. CMCs also have general knowledge in disability issues and will explore the client’s physical capabilities in order to make the right vehicle conversion or mobility equipment recommendation.    

Conversion Manufacturers

Major auto manufacturers such as Chrysler/Dodge, Toyota, Ford and Honda build new van chassis from the ground up. These are often referred to as original equipment manufacturers or OEMs. A conversion manufacturer takes new OEM vehicles or pre-owned vans with low mileage and “converts” them for wheelchair accessibility for mobility dealers.  A conversion can include lowering the floor, adding a kneeling system and ramp, new removable front seating, securement L-track on the floor, and electrical system upgrades for safe and convenient operation of the vehicle. Lowering the floor in itself presents many engineering challenges that require considerable time in the conversion process.  Two of the most popular conversion manufacturers are BraunAbility and Vantage Mobility International (also known as VMI). Note: MobilityWorks is BraunAbility’s and VMI’s largest dealer in the United States.

Docking Systems

Wheelchair docking is an alternative system for securing the wheelchair to the floor of a van. Docking systems use an automated clamp like device mounted to the floor that locks on to a pin that is added to the frame of the wheelchair. Docking systems utilize an electronic push-button control console for quickly locking and releasing the wheelchair.  Many wheelchair drivers utilize a docking system, eliminating the need for tie-down straps that would be problematic to use in the driver position.

Hand Controls

Hand controls are commonly used by paraplegic and amputee drivers and can be installed on most any type of vehicle. Several different styles of hand controls are available to match the needs of the driver with the automobile, van, truck or SUV. Most hand controls are mechanical, which means they are connected to the accelerator and braking system with the use of connecting rods and various hand grip options. The most popular among the systems is a push-pull design. The drive pushes forward to accelerate and pulls down on the controls to brake.  A Certified Mobility Consultant can demonstrate the various options and connect the client with a Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS) for driver evaluation and on-road training. For public safety and liability reasons, certification is required before a mobility dealer can order and install hand controls on a vehicle.

In-Floor Ramp

Mobility vans that have a side-entry ramp can also be equipped with an in-floor ramp system. What this means is that the ramp is located under the floor of the vehicle (when not in use) and slides out when deployed. The advantage of an in-floor system is that the ramp is completely out of the way, unlike a fold-out ramp that is an obstruction in the door opening in the up position. In-floor ramps can be a little more expensive in that they require more work to install, but can be a very practical option for those who want to utilize the passenger side sliding door without the wheelchair ramp being deployed. 

Kneeling System

Ramp angle is a critical part of the making a van accessible. The lower the angle the easier is to enter the vehicle, particularly for those in manual chairs who wheel themselves in without an attendant. Kneeling systems are designed to raise the opposite side of the van, with an automated actuator, which lowers the passenger side, reducing the height of the floor and ramp. Kneeling systems are completely hidden and out of view from passengers and are controlled with the same push-button operation as the the ramp. In most cases, the van’s electrical system has been designed to open the sliding door, kneel the van and deploy the ramp in sequential order in one easy step.

L-Track

In order to secure the wheelchair to the floor of the van with a tie-down system, a strip of metal “L-Track” is attached to the floor. L-Track has small half-inch circular openings along the entire length that allow for a tie-down strap to be positioned in the correct angle and position for the person in the chair. L-Track can be installed in horizontal or vertical configurations depending on the type of van and desired wheelchair position.

Lowered Floor

Since headroom above the wheelchair passenger can be tight and a lower ramp angle is desired, most wheelchair vans are modified with a lowered floor. This accomplishes both goals of providing more room and a reduced angle necessary for entering and exiting the vehicle. Height at the door opening can also be a critical dimension for a larger person sitting upright in a chair or for a caregiver assisting with loading and securement. Lowered floor vans are structurally modified and require significant re-engineering of many vehicle components such as the muffler system, gas tank, and brake lines. Because of these modifications, conversion manufacturers have to crash test their vehicles to meet federal safety standards. It’s important that people try a vehicle’s lowered floor, kneeling and ramp system before buying.

New-New and New-Used Vans

A New-New conversion would be a brand new wheelchair accessible conversion on a brand new vehicle (less than a few hundred miles), while a “Used” van would be a pre-owned vehicle typically obtained by the dealer as a trade-in. New-Used is a term often referred to in the mobility industry as a New Conversion on a Used Chassis. New-Used conversions are a fairly common practice when inventory on new chassis become scarce and can also help to reduce the overall cost to the consumer. New-Used conversions are typically only done on lower mileage vehicles with very little wear or any major defects. Most quality dealers have a selection of New, New-Used and Used on their lots for you to choose from.  As with any pre-owned vehicle purchase, Car Fax reports can also be provided to check for any prior damage from an accident or to identify manufacturer recalls that should be addressed. An extended warranty should also be considered when purchasing a van.

NMEDA and NMEDA QAP

The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association is the industry organization that oversees the quality of member dealers and those who manufacture or resell other mobility-related transportation equipment. Its members offer products and/or services that are specific to the transportation needs of people who are in wheelchairs or that utilize an electric scooter.  NMEDs provides training and guidance to its membership in areas that relate to serving the disabled community, safety, mechanical service, customer relations, and government-related issues.  The Quality Assurance Program, or QAP, is certification by NMEDA that signifies that a dealer has met certain quality criteria for its service capabilities, facilities and technician training.

Rear Entry Handicap Vans

While most wheelchair accessible minivans have side-entry ramps, rear-entry vans are becoming more popular, especially in the commercial taxi market. Commercial and consumer rear entry options also include the Ford Transit Connect, rarely seen as a side-entry. Rear entries are typically less expensive than a side-entry conversion, with most having manual fold-out ramps. Spring loaded hinges assist with the fold-out operation. Rear entries are generally used with an attendant to help with folding the ramp and closing the doors, in addition to helping the disabled passenger with securing with wheelchair tie-downs.  

Removable Seating

Most of today’s lowered floor side-entry handicap vans have removable front seat bases. Lowered floor conversion manufacturers typically put new seat bases in that have quick-connect plug-ins for the electrical components of the seats and wheels that allow for maneuvering the seats in and out of the vehicle. With removable seating, wheelchair driver and passenger positions in the front of the vehicle are easy to configure.     

Retractable Tie-Downs

Tie-downs are an essential safety feature of wheelchair transportation. Used in conjunction with L-Track on the floor, a 4-point tie-down system, in addition to shoulder and lap-belt straps for the passenger, have been proven over time to be the a reliable passenger safety option. The easiest tie-downs to use have a retractable mechanism that rolls the strap back up with the touch of a button. This allows for faster loading and increased passenger independence with securing their own wheelchair.   

Conclusion

Whether you’re an experienced wheelchair van purchaser or not, there are always new products and updates to existing models that a Certified Mobility Consultant can help to explain. Our mobility consultations are always free and clients can schedule an appointment at any time during normal business hours. MobilityWorks is here to help you with navigating the many options available to make your world more accessible.

There are conflicting statistics out there about the use of electric scooters for mobility impaired population groups, but these very agile devices are certainly growing in popularity. Just take a stroll through the local shopping mall or large grocery store and you’re almost guaranteed to see several of these compact devices zipping around corners.

Users of mobility scooters tend to have partial use of their legs, but their mobility is limited in terms of distance they can cover or the speed with which they can walk. Some scooter users have greater difficulty carrying objects due to weakness in their upper limbs, so these three-wheeled wonders help them while shopping since a basket can be very easily mounted in the front or back of the scooter to carry objects.

Since electric scooters are extremely simple to operate and very easy to sit on and exit, many senior citizens will use them in shopping situations solely, provided to them by the grocery store itself. The leading medical conditions that require individuals to use a mobility scooter or a wheelchair currently are victims of Stroke (11%), Arthritis (10.4%), and Multiple Sclerosis (5%). Regardless of the cause that puts men and women in these mobility aids, good battery life and ease-of-operation make using mobility scooters an easy form of assisted locomotion for both men and women. 

But once you’ve purchased your scooter, how do you get it around easily? It’s not like these devices are designed for very long trips – or for speed on the highway! The answer, of course, is electric scooter lifts. And just as there are many makes and models of scooters themselves, so there are quite a few designs for scooter lifts – depending on variables such as the size of your automobile, garage space, weather conditions, even gas mileage considerations. Depending on your needs, there are plenty of choices in the market today. We always advise clients to work with a Certified Mobility Consultant (CMC) so that you select the most efficient lift system for your scooter and your transportation vehicle.

A few considerations to keep in mind as you shop around for an electric scooter lift are:

*Weight capacity. Whether you decide upon a lift with a mechanical hoist or a lift equipped with a drive-on ramp, additional weight will be be placed upon your vehicle. Having your van or SUV inspected to make sure it can handle the weight of this additional machinery and the scooter is an important step in the lift selection process.  A newer product that takes some of these considerations away is the Bruno Chariot™ Lift, which is pulled behind your vehicle like a very small trailer – eliminating the need for much large vehicles in order to haul your scooter around. 

This platform lift for power wheelchairs and scooters stays on the outside on a van or SUV.

*Interior versus exterior scooter storage. Depending on the scooter lift you purchase, your scooter will be stored during transport on the outside or the inside of your vehicle. If your scooter lift stores your scooter inside your van or minivan or SUV and works like the Bruno Curbsider® hoist system or Bruno Joey® platform lift , then you’ll most likely have to give-up the back row of seats in the vehicle to provide storage space for your scooter and the lift mechanism. If your electric scooter lift holds your scooter on the outside of your vehicle in the manner of the Bruno Out-Sider® Meridian™, your scooter will be exposed to all the weather conditions of your geographic area (Rain? Snow? Ice?) and your garage may not be able to accommodate the additional rear space taken up by the scooter lift and scooter.

Such considerations are necessary to figure-out BEFORE you purchase your scooter lift. MobilityWorks offers mobility consultation expertise to help our many client s find the best mobility solution for their particular requirements.

Marvel Comic’s The Avengers

This past week, MobilityWorks attended the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) annual convention in Indiana. The event drew more than 5,000 attendees from all over the country and about 300 vendors. Occupational therapists are the heroes that work with our clients after suffering a debilitating event, such as a stroke or spinal cord injury, in order to regain the ability to do many of the physical tasks necessary to be independent. They transform lives for millions of Americans needing therapy services. Being an OT means having a lot of post-graduate training in many different medical areas – ranging from youth to elderly care. It also requires having a lot of patience and a strong desire to help people with physical needs at every stage of their recovery. Their goal is the same as ours, to allow people to live active lives again and to regain their independence as much as possible.

The AOTA convention vendors offered a wide array of different products and services to help clients with their rehabilitation process, such as improving motor skills, balance and hand-eye coordination. Academia was also well represented, as many colleges and universities were there to represent post-graduate curriculum. Many assisted living facilities were also there with displays looking to hire OT professionals. Even the Navy was on hand to recruit OTs. There were also driving simulators for training someone to drive again and wheelchair accessible vans made by BraunAbility.  

While our mission was to connect with leaders in the occupational therapy world, the event was inspirational in that many of the younger graduates showed exceptional interest in our products and the SureGrip hand controls demonstration that we brought to the exhibit hall. Working alongside other organizations such as the Adaptive Driving Alliance, the National Mobility Dealers Association (NMEDA) and The Association of Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (ADED), our secondary mission was to educate new OTs attending on the importance of mobility products and the vast array of transportation options that are available. Soon they will be OT influencers guiding clients to our stores for adaptive quipment solutions.

Add Your Artwork to Our "Doodle for Mobility" Gallery for a Chance to Win $100!

If you haven’t already heard, May is National Mobility Awareness Month. The National Equipment Dealers Association is marketing the event through the van giveaway contest which will provide three brand new wheelchair vans to three winners. The association, called NMEDA for short, is using an essay or video and public voting website to help with selecting the finalists.

Most people know that Google will occasionally show different designs at the top of their search page celebrating different events. Most recently they recognized "Earth Day" and the first day of Spring. With Google getting 34,000 search hits per second, we thought it would be neat to do a little more for awareness month with the help of Google, undeniably the king of all search engines. How cool would that be if Google were to show different “Doodle for Google” designs representing mobility awareness?  

According to Google's Doodle Team web page: “The doodle team is open to user ideas; requests for doodles can be sent to proposals@google.com. The team receives numerous requests so even if we do not get back to you about your request, please know that we do look at and consider all the requests that are submitted.”  In addition to the design shown above, below are a few more that Guy Hanford, our Director of Marketing, came up with and submitted to the Google Doodle team.

If you’d like to get more ideas from other doodle designs used over the years, Google has an online archive that can be found at www.google.com/logos.

Submit Your Artwork to the MobilityWorks  "Doodle for Mobility" Gallery

Are you the creative type? Let us know if you’ve submitted your own doodle to Google and send us a copy of your design(s). They can be sent to marketing@mobilityworks.com. Note: we prefer jpg format, with image sizes being less than 1MB. Whether Google uses them or not, MobilityWorks is going to create its own “Doodle for Mobility” Web Gallery to showcase the artwork along with  the name, city and state of the artists. At the end of May, we'll award a $100 Gift Card to our favorite awareness doodle. So get drawing!

20 MobilityWorks locations are now spread across 12 different states.

Back in late February, MobilityWorks announced the merger of HDS Vans & Mobility (aka Handicapped Driver Services) with five locations in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. Much has been done with bringing these new locations into our system, which will eventually include their complete inventory of new and used wheelchair vans. We've started our orientation at each location, the hiring of new staff where needed, and integrating systems like e-mail, phone, CRM software and communication networks.

Here's what our new HDS clients and blog visitors should know:

1. MobilityWorks and HDS Vans both hold ourselves to the highest quality standards in the industry, including our service, products and personnel. All of our locations are NMEDA QAP certified, which means we are independently audited on a regular basis for quality control. We also conduct after-sale surveys (by an independent party) of our clients that are then reviewed by our executive team to make sure we are living up to our standards.

2. All of our Van Sales and General Inquiry calls are answered by our Client Care Center (CCC), located at our Akron OH headquarters. We route these calls to our CCC in order to insure that a.) every call is answered by a human being (not voice-mail or on-hold messaging) and b.) that each caller is provided with the information they need in a timely manner. If you don't know the local number of the closest HDS location, don't worry! You can call our CCC and they can connect you. We're here to help no matter what state you're from.

3. For existing clients needing mechanical service or scheduled maintenance, call our "Service" toll-free number from your home phone. Caller ID connects you to the closest store to schedule an appointment. They will also provide you with a local number and e-mail address where you can contact them directly for future maintenance.

4. Don't be afraid to call our CCC or store location - just to ask questions. That's what we're here for! If you'd like to stop in and look around, that's okay too. We prefer to have clients schedule an appointment if possible - but don't let that keep you from coming in and saying hello. We don't mind walk-ins. Most of our stores open at 8 AM and close at 5 PM M-F, so call ahead if you are running late. Many of our stores also have limited Saturday showroom hours. Evening visits and Saturday appointments can also be arranged.

5. Our online inventory includes vans from every location. We often move vans from one store to another if a particular make, model or color is preferred. This means that you get the van you want to own. MobilityWorks has the largest inventory of new and used vans to choose from -- or we can order brand new accessible vans with any special equipment or amenity requirements.

6. Many of our customers drive with hand controls. We install and service mechanical and hi-tech EMC driver controls provided by all of the major manufacturers in our industry.  If you haven't received driver training, we can put you in touch with a local ADED member of the Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists that can do an assessment and teach you to drive with adaptive equipment. Talk to one of our Certified Mobility Consultants if you are unsure of what type of hand controls are available.

Staying on through the transition is HDS Owner/President Michael Dresdner and Scott Sorenson, HDS Chief Operating Officer. Scott will continue to oversee operations of the five HDS store locations, reporting to Eric Mansfield, our VP of Store Operations at the MobilityWorks headquarters in Akron, Ohio. You will continue to see the same names and faces you have come to trust when visiting Handicapped Driver Services.

As we continue to integrate HDS and MobilityWorks, all our clients will hear more about us by way of e-mail, Facebook postings, service reminder postcards and our upcoming 2012 In-Motion newsletter. To meet the staff and learn a  little more about each HDS location, below are links to their new pages on our website. And don't forget to join us on our Facebook fan page!

HDS-MobilityWorks in Atlanta, GA 
HDS-MobilityWorks in Birmingham, AL 
HDS-MobilityWorks in Chattanooga, TN 
HDS-MobilityWorks in Jacksonville, FL
HDS-MobilityWorks in Nashville, TN

Opinion Editorial

I have a friend that I recently submitted to the National Mobility Awareness Month website, with the hope that she will be able to win the local hero contest and get the wheelchair van she really needs for her daughter. I think she’s a hero anyway. She took in a little girl with a lot of physical and developmental needs when she was just scraping by herself. The girl’s natural mother dropped her off one day and never came back. The father ended up in jail. My “hero” spent whatever she had in the courts to keep the girl out of the system and in her home.  

When I went to check the website to see if her nomination had been posted I was redirected to a different website with the following message:

“Site under maintenance. Thank you for visiting the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association website – NMEDA.com / MobilityAwarenessMonth.com. The site is unavailable at this time due to the overwhelming response to the National Mobility Awareness Month Local Heroes program. We are communicating website updates via our Facebook page or you may check back at a later time.”

Apparently the number of submissions and those trying to vote on their own favorite hero brought the site down. It “crashed” or something like that. At first I was upset. I really want her to win. I was sending out e-mails to all of my friends and to some of the local church groups to vote for her. I even Facebook’d the few people I know. I called the NMEDA 800 number to complain. I even called MobilityWorks, even though I knew it wasn't your fault,  and told someone there how upset I was. That poor guy, he was very nice! But then I realized the people at NMEDA are really trying to do a good thing – and that things will work themselves out. Whatever happens, I hope that whoever wins really deserves it and needs it.

But my friend is just one of many people that I personally know who really need a handicap van. They aren't heroes you would read about in the newspaper. They're just regular people struggling to get by. I know a LOT of people that could really use one.  Mr. Dawson who’s almost 70 at the center is in a wheelchair and has to take public transportation. He donates his time almost every day to help others. He’s a hero too. I suppose that if everyone who heard about the contest told somebody else and then they told somebody else, that’s a lot of people trying to win at one time.  

I wish the government would do something to help these people out, but I guess they don’t do nothing to help buy a van. That’s a shame with all of the money being wasted on all those solar companies. Why are we giving billions of dollars to them anyway? That money could have gone to a lot of disabled people. When my friend has to take her little girl to a doctor’s appointment, she walks several blocks down the street... and then has to take the bus. I would help but I don't have a car. Her little girls is getting to big for her too lift out of the wheelchair. Isn’t there someone in the government who sees the need for these folks? Perhaps if everyone who was nominating and voting also called the Whitehouse about people needing wheelchair vans that would get some attention.

Anyway, I hope it all gets fixed soon. I know you all are doing what you can.

Thank you.

Fran H. Goudy

(Editor's note: The NMEDA Mobility Awareness Month website has since been fixed)

Thousands of MobilityWorks commercial wheelchair vans like these (operated by private companies and organizations) can be found in nearly every state throughout the country.

Most of our consumer clients know us for the BraunAbility or VMI wheelchair minivans they’ve purchased or rented over the years at one of our 20 showroom locations. Many influencers such as the Veterans Administration or occupational therapists (OTs) also recommend our scooter lift and hand control products to their clients. What many customers don’t know is that our Commercial Vans are on the road in almost every major city of the United States. From New York City to Chicago and Atlanta to Los Angeles California, thousands of MobilityWorks built vans are taking people where they need to go. While we don’t supply the drivers of these purchased vans, we’re glad that we can play a role in providing greater access to travel for people in wheelchairs all over the country.

While our non-emergency ambulette vans are a large part of our overall production, MobilityWorks commercial vans come in all shapes and sizes. Most are full sized vans equipped with wheelchair lifts. We serve clients such as hospitals, schools, adult living communities, churches, nursing homes, city & county services, hotels and even law enforcement. Our rear entry wheelchair lift vans are also used for transporting medical equipment or larger electronic items such as copiers. Our manufacturing team can serve fleet managers with all types of options and van configurations that can be adapted to most any need. We even produce a border patrol transport vehicle used by agents working along the southern U.S. border.  

Ford E-Series commercial vans at our Akron Ohio facility.

Commercial wheelchair vans have a variety of side-entry and rear-entry floor plans, with most having some type of raised roof design. Seating arrangements are made to order based on the client’s needs and the number of spaces required for wheelchair passengers. Most are built on Ford E-Series chassis which are the E-150, E-250 and E-350 models. Larger paratransit buses are also fitted with lifts and seating by our manufacturing staff. The Ford Transit Connect with a built-in wheelchair ramp is also becoming a popular choice for its accessible versatility and gas mileage benefits, especially in the taxi cab market.

So the next time you’re travelling to another city and see a commercial van with a “MobilityWorks” sticker in the side or rear window, think of us and say, I know those guys!

About

Our MobilityWorks Commercial division is located in Akron Ohio on Wilbeth Road, about 10 miles south of our consumer headquarters and showroom on Moe Drive, also in Akron. Both are about 45 minutes from Cleveland. They are Ford Motor Company’s largest mobility upfitter. For business owners that want to contact our commercial sales team, you can call them toll free at 1-888- 466-5504. Mechanical service is provided for commercial customers at each of our consumer showroom and service center locations.

Limb loss due to medical conditions or accidents affect people of all ages. This young lady was at a Shriner's Hospital for rehabilitation with her prosthetic legs.

It’s estimated that more than 500 Americans lose a limb each day. More than two million Americans are currently living with a limb loss. Amazing statistics that many of us are shocked to hear. Perhaps it’s because prosthetic limbs have come such a long way that it can be hard to tell whether some is missing a limb or not. People with limb loss are around us every day, more than we realize, living full and active lives. I even know of a few police officers who have only one leg, marines who were injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. And they can outrun most any bad guy in a chase! Many of our clients using wheelchair vans and/or hand controls use a prosthetic.

The Amputee Coalition is at the heart of a movement to educate the public about limb loss, especially in April, when they celebrate National Limb Loss Awareness Month. Their mission: to bring awareness about the risk factors and preventative steps that people can take to avoid losing limbs.

There are many causes of limb loss, such as auto accidents or construction injuries. Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton lost her arm to a shark! But many amputations that occur in the USA are preventable, due to medical conditions such as diabetes and peripheral vascular disease. The Amputee Coalition website has an informative listing they call “25 Ways to Avoid Limb Loss” with brief description identifying each. Go to their Limb Loss link here.

In addition to awareness, the Amputee Coalition offers scholarship programs, a marketplace for products, community forums for people with different interests and much more. They also have a comprehensive online library of resources, articles and publications called the National Limb Loss Information Center (NLLIC). You to also make donations online to help their cause. Go to www.amputee-coalition.org  learn more about this terrific organization.

Wheelchair lifts are serviced at all 20 MobilityWorks locations.

Winter is not the favored season of the year for most residents of the North and Midwest in America, so we’re glad it’s almost over. We live with it, we endure it, we try to find the beauty and charm of it when possible – icicles hanging from roofs and shining in the sunshine, tree branches coated with snow that become winter-land sculptures, kids throwing snowballs at each other after school is done for the day. These little moments of celebration help us to hang on for the arrival of spring, but take it from a northerner – we’d rather have green grass and 70-degree days over a foot of snow and frostbite any day! 

Much the same as our bodies, our vehicles don’t favor the cold, precipitous days of winter either. Engines don’t want to start, heaters don’t want to generate heat, and tires don’t want to stay inflated. It’s as if the very elements are conspiring against us! With handicap minivans, a whole other list of potential complications can arise. Ramp hinges freeze-up, batteries that the operate the wheelchair lift or scooter lift become sluggish; even the door track can become clogged so that the van’s interior gets messy with slush and water. This does not make for an enjoyable winter vehicle experience! 

MobilityWorks is committed to our stated mission of “making the world accessible” for all our very valued customers. This includes keeping your handicap minivans, full-size van conversions and all the vehicles you rely upon in good shape and totally functioning all season long. That’s why we feel that offering scheduled maintenance and service inspections on your accessible vehicles is a good idea. And since winter is nearly over and you'll be travelling more often, now is a great time to have your minivan or full-size van inspected to make sure all your equipment is working well. Did we mention that Mobility Works has been certified by almost every conversion van manufacturer & adaptive equipment vendor for installation and repair jobs? It’s the truth!

 Please take a look at our Van Repair & Maintenance Services page to learn about all the great check-ups, tune-ups and inspections we can do for wheelchair ramps, wheelchair and scooter lifts, door opening systems, wheelchair tie-downs and more. Get your minivan, truck, van or car ready for springtime and summer so you won’t have to waste any of those precious warm days on mechanical duties. Time flies when you’re trying to say warm!

"My body is in a wheelchair; my mind is not." — Mike Berkson

Mike Berkson and Tim Wambach met in the summer of 2001. Tim was hired to help Mike, a 12 year old with cerebral palsy, as his aide in elementary school.  As Mike has virtually no control of movement of his arms or legs, Tim's job was to help him do things he couldn't do for himself.  Tim quickly discovered that Mike was different than most kids his age.  It wasn't because of his wheelchair or cerebral palsy.  Mike possessed a razor-sharp quick-witted sense of humor beyond his years. It bonded the two unlikely friends immediately.

Mike, born two minutes after his twin brother, David, he was briefly deprived of oxygen and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects his body movements and coordination.  The doctor warned their parents, Denis and Linda Berkson, that Mike was not expected to talk or lead a normal life. By the time Mike was three years old, he was talking up a storm and had a thirst for vocabulary. Linda took Mike back to this same doctor and let Mike drop his speaking skills on the him. The doctor was shocked and happily admitted he enjoyed being proved wrong.

Mike and Tim spent three years working together. “7^th grade, 8^th grade, and Freshmen year in high school.  Then he had enough of me or I had enough of him, not quite sure.” Berkson said with a grin.

Tim left Mike in 2004 to pursue other opportunities, one leading him to his dream of becoming a motivational speaker. Tim was hired by National Financial Educators to deliver their signature program, “The Money Game,” to colleges across the country. While digging in deep at this job, Wambach felt himself being pulled back to Mike. “I don’t know what it was. I have always wanted the best for Mike and I kept thinking of ways I could still be of assistance to him. One day while out for a jog, I had an idea. Really, it was an epiphany and it's proved to be a game changer!”

Wambach’s game-changing plan was to take Mike and David to Orlando and spend a weekend in Disneyworld. The Berkson boys would then fly back to Chicago, but Tim would run back as a show of support to increase awareness about cerebral palsy, how Mike lives with his handicap, and to show people what is possible. The idea date was April 1, 2005.  At this point, Tim didn’t even classify as a runner, but by August 1, 2005 after four months of incredibly intensive training, Tim ran 717 miles from Orlando, Florida to Chicago, Illinois. 

“It was the hardest thing I have ever done.  I threw everything I had into the run. Everything. Blood, sweat, and tears – all of it, literally. I dug deep and realized that I had been living my life at half-speed.  That was exhilarating, but it was also agonizing.  I knew I had to raise my game the rest of my life.”

On the heels of the Orlando-Chicago run, Mike & Tim worked to create the Keep On Keeping On Foundation.  Its early mission was to raise awareness about severe physical handicaps and have fundraisers to support individuals who were living with them.  In a twist of fate after a failed business venture for Tim, Mike and Tim would be reunited again in the summer of 2007.  The Keep On Keeping On Foundation had been awarded official non-profit status and to continue furthering its awareness, Mike and Tim were asked to give speeches at different events.  Their speaking engagements were very successful.  They were making people laugh and think. The audience response was unanimous every time - people wanted more.  “Our message affected every audience.  Whether they were school-age children or adults, they loved us!” Berkson said.

Berkson and Wambach decided they wanted to take their educational speeches and turn them into a theatrical show. In January of 2010, Handicap This! rolled onto the stage and made its debut. 

The show's purpose is to dispel myths and misunderstandings about cerebral palsy and handicaps, and also encourage others to overcome their own obstacles. Both Mike and Tim thoroughly enjoy performing the show for audiences.  It gives Mike, who is often ignored, a platform to show off his chops and exercise the abilities he does have.  The show also satisfies Wambach’s yearning to be a motivational speaker.

"People don't think he can accomplish a lot," Wambach says. "Physically he really can't, but mentally he's on overdrive.  Always.  He's got more happening between his ears than anyone I know.  He really enjoys proving people wrong."

Berkson compares himself to a blind person whose other senses become sharper as a result of the blindness. "My mental state is not better or stronger, but it fires a little more quickly than an average person," he says.  As he tells the audience, "My body is in a wheelchair; my mind is not."  That is more than evident in their 80-minute show. 

"On stage, Mike is triumphant,” Tim beams, "The audience gets to see Mike as MIKE, and they know immediately he's intelligent and funny." 

They've dubbed themselves "two men and a wheelchair," but their show is really about the journey of a handicapped kid with enormous smarts who grows up and the friend with enormous heart who has helped him navigate along the way.  These are happy times to savor.

Berkson and Wambach are no strangers to standing ovations. “We have done the show 15 times and received 16 standing ovations.  You do the math,” Berkson says.  They've had public performances, recently rolling onto the stage at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Illinois for three performances.  They’ve also performed for middle school, high school, and college audiences.  Their niche markets are the colleges and other handicap awareness organizations.  They are working to find a sponsor for a national college tour.

Handicap This! continues to work in partnership with the Keep On Keeping On Foundation.  Wambach has also written a short book chronicling their experiences, How We Roll, with all sales going directly to the foundation. Please visit http://www.keeponkeepingon.org/howweroll.html.

Both men know they'll move on one day and pursue other things independently of one another, but they also know they will always be in each other's lives.  "I don't see any end to our friendship,'" Wambach says. "We'll be forever linked.  We've kind of accepted that this is our wave and we're going to ride it to wherever it takes us as long as we can."

So far, their wave has taken them to many places.  Hopefully Handicap This! will roll into a town near you! For more information about Mike, Tim, Handicap This! or the Keep On Keeping On Foundation, please visit their websites:  www.handicapthis.com and www.keeponkeepingon.org.

Three vans will be given away in May as part of the National Mobility Awareness Month campaign.

First Ever National Mobility Awareness Month Coming in May - Local Hero Nominees Being Sought for Van Giveaways 

MobilityWorks is proud to announce its participation in the first ever National Mobility Awareness Month this coming May. And as part of the celebration, the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association and its partners are giving away three wheelchair accessible vans to local hero essay contest winners.  Mobility dealers, groups and organizations are encouraged to nominate deserving individuals by submitting a 1 to 3-minute video and 400 word essay and photos about the nominee. They will be accepting nomination starting March 18th all the way up to May 13th. However, the sooner you get the nominations in the better because visitors to the MobilityAwarenessMonth.com website will have a chance to vote for their favorites. Voting will begin April 1st and ends May 13th.

What is a local hero? They can be anyone in your community including persons with disabilities, a caregiver, veteran or anyone who has helped others to overcome their mobility challenges. If you have someone that you are nominating, please let us know so that we can help to "get out the vote" for a particular hero. 

The winners of the three wheelchair vans will be announced by NMEDA toward the end of May on national television. We look forward to bringing more awareness to the general public and with creating a buzz about the many different options that people now have to live  productive lives with the help of our vans, scooter lifts and driving aid products. Additional information and nominee submission links can be found at www.MobilityAwarenessMonth.com.

Who would have thought… A wheelchair motorcycle group?

When Steppenwolf released Born to be Wild in 1968, along with its use in film classic Easy Rider, it quickly became the anthem of bikers worldwide. But they never could have imagined five riders in wheelchairs cruising the streets of Daytona.

It was the lyrics of Born to be Wild that is often credited with the naming of an entire genre of music, now recognized worldwide by people of all ages as heavy metal:

"I like smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder,
racing with the wind... and the feeling that I'm under."

Fast Forward to 2012

This coming week, five of our Conquest Rider’s Group (CRG) members will converge in Daytona Florida for Bike Week (March 9-18), one of the largest yearly gatherings of bikers in the United States. In addition to staying in the same hotel and all owning a Mobility Conquest BMW Trike, the group has a series of planned “stops” that will run up and down the coast, culminating in a ride all the way to Jacksonville for a MobilityWorks-HDS Vans client appreciation party. Cruizin' with the CRG to Bike Week events will be MobilityWorks President/CEO Bill Koeblitz and Mobility Conquest National Sales Manager Brian Austin.

Also part of the action will be a fund-raising bike wash, with proceeds going to The MobilityWorks Foundation Rider’s Fund. The Bike Wash will be held at the B.F.F.A.R. (Bikers For First Amendment Rights) located at 745 Ridgewood Ave, Holly Hill FL 32117.

"Yeah, darling, gonna make it happen... take the world in a love embrace."

If you’d like to take part in the action with our Conquest Rider’s Group, contact Brian Austin toll free at 1-888-690-2713 or via e-mail at baustin@mobilityworks.com. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest action and photos.

This 1990's New Era brochure featured the latest technology in handicap vans and adaptive equipment.

It was 15 years ago (in February, 1997) that Bill Koeblitz, MobilityWorks President/CEO, incorporated WMK, Inc. and went on to purchase a small, single location, 10-person van modification business called “New Era Transportation”. New Era started installing wheelchair lifts on full-sized vans in 1986 (26 years ago) at the current MobilityWorks headquarters at 810 Moe Drive in Akron, OH. After becoming MobilityWorks, they quickly outgrew the single location, requiring the opening of a manufacturing facility on Wilbeth Road also in Akron (about 10 miles south). Partnering with Taylor Clark, MobilityWorks President of Commercial Operations, Bill and Taylor continued to lead the company’s growth, now expanding to 20 consumer showroom locations and a prospering commercial unit that now occupies three separate buildings and is Ford Motor Company’s largest mobility upfitter. MobilityWorks now has more than 300 employees nationwide.

A Milestone and Then Some…

While the MobilityWorks trade name wasn’t officially filed for registration until September in 1997, we wanted to take this opportunity to recognize this milestone in the company’s history -- and the significant accomplishment that Bill and Taylor have achieved.  With the help of our key business partners such as BraunAbility and Vantage Mobility International (VMI), we will continue to lead the industry with offering more innovative products and accessible options. MobilityWorks Certified Mobility Consultant Todd Sales (and Technician Tim Neal) was with New Era Transportation before MobilityWorks was launched.  

“The biggest change (between today and back then) is the number of choices people now have” said Mr. Slates. “We have something for everyone, in just about every situation, with a vehicle they can really feel comfortable either driving or riding in. The difference is like night and day.”

Improving and Strengthening the Mobility Industry

As the company grew, MobilityWorks became more involved with the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA). In the early years, the industry was very fragmented with not much oversight on the quality of the products being installed or in the services being provided to wheelchair clients. With significantly more training required for technicians through its Quality Assurance Program (QAP), and with dramatically improved products from manufacturers, NMEDA has transformed itself into the leading authority on accessible vans and equipment being offered throughout the country. Bill Koeblitz currently serves as Secretary on the NMEDA Board of Directors and is a vigilant supporter of face-to-face mobility consultations and service with store-operated providers to meet the needs of the disabled community.

NOTE: This May, MobilityWorks and NMEDA will kick off the first annual “National Mobility Awareness Month”, designed to bring awareness of the mobility options now offered to millions of physically challenged individuals in the United States and Canada.

Lowered floors, raised roofs and wheelchair lifts were just some of the "cutting-edge" modifications being offered.

It’s Been a Leap Year for MobilityWorks...

The company has already grown by leaps and bounds over 2011 (and it's only Febraury). On the consumer side, we’ve added 6 new locations with the addition of stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Tennessee. The acquisition of Monmouth Vans, Access & Mobility with one store in Farmingdale NJ was quickly followed by the acquisition of Handicapped Driver Services (aka HDS Vans & Mobility) with five stores. On the commercial side, Liberty USA of Michigan was added to the team, along with owner Michael Shank, providing significant experience in the minivan conversion market. The timing couldn’t have been better as we have been receiving significant requests for proposals in the taxi industry for our fuel-efficient, economical vehicle options. And… We just received approval from the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s Taxicab & Limousine Division for the use of our Ford Transit Connect, Dodge Grand Caravan and Toyota Sienna conversion vans as taxicabs in the city! MobilityWorks also launched The MobilityWorks Foundation that focuses on those who have the greatest financial need.

Our goals remain the same as when we started: Helping people who are in wheelchairs to get out and stay active. Giving them the freedom to live their lives to the fullest. And we’re just getting started! Congratulations Bill and Talyor!

Note: Please watch our latest video on our You Tube channel called MobilityWorksTV showing an interview with Bill Koeblitz and Chicago client Jason Green. We think you'll enjoy it.

Farmingdale is within easy access to the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey shoreline.

It’s not reality TV – but it is reality! MobilityWorks announced earlier this month that it had acquired the assets of Monmouth Vans Access & Mobility located in Farmingdale, NJ. Located just north of Wall Township and close to the Garden State Parkway, our new “Jersey Shores” location is only 7 miles from the coastline and less than an hour from Staten Island and New York City. Monmouth Vans will become part of the MobilityWorks family of accessible van showroom and service centers, now reaching 15 locations in 8 states!

For our new clients and friends in New Jersey and New York – Welcome to the family!

MobilityWorks offers a wide selection of vehicles and alternative wheelchair transportation options. While our core products are modified minivans with automated ramps and full-size vans with lifts, the same as Monmouth, the company also offers wheelchair accessible motorcycles and pickup trucks, a robotic arm for wheelchair storing, turning/lift-up seats, scooter lifts and hi-tech driving systems. In addition to significant operational support coming from the company’s Akron Ohio headquarters in areas such as accounting, human resources and marketing, the New Jersey location will realize many other benefits in becoming a part of MobilityWorks. Visit our New Jersey showroom page.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the new team. They have an outstanding reputation in the industry” said Ray Morton, who has been named as the location’s General Manager.

“MobilityWorks has made significant investments in a new Client Care Center, training programs, and in their network systems… just to name a few examples. Those types of things will really help us with serving our clients.”

Monmouth Vans owner Gene Morton (Ray Morton’s father) will be retiring soon after a distinguished career in the wheelchair van and adaptive equipment industry. Enjoy your retirement Gene! We wish you all the best and expect to see you often.

If you’re new to MobilityWorks, our entire inventory of more than 340 vans is searchable online and shared across all showroom stores. Drivers transport vans from one store (such as Albany, NY) to another if a particular make, model or type of conversion is preferred by a client. The Monmouth inventory will get ramped up with several new and pre-owned vans arriving from MobilityWorks shortly.

About Monmouth Vans Access & Mobility

Monmouth Vans Access & Mobility began in 1975 as Monmouth Equipment and Service Co. Inc. They were later acquired in 1983 and changed names to better identify themselves with wheelchair transportation. They were also part of ‘Accessible Vans & Mobility’ (AVM) in Cinnaminson, NJ. With the acquisition, they will no longer be a part of the AVM organization. Monmouth Mobility provides modified, personal-use vans, scooter lifts and driving aids to New Jersey communities such as Lakewood, Hamilton, Toms River, Trenton and Wall Township. They have on-site adaptive vehicles ready for sale and for rent. Experienced certified mobility consultants are on hand to assist with vehicle and equipment selection.

MobilityWorks Los Angeles Team Volunteers for Miracle League Ventura

As “Buddies” MobilityWorks employees assist Miracle League players to catch and or throw the ball, helped them wheel or walk around bases. The Miracle League has a goal to offer this program in every city in the country so every special needs person has the opportunity to play baseball.

Mike Stilwell and his family made a great cheering section for the players and was our photographer of the day. Jessica and Colton Cody kept the water coming in sunny California and Colton was an amazing little helper all day. The Quote of the day from 3 year old Colton was “Waterboys open for business! Woo Hoo”.

Zitria and Brittney - Miracle League Ventura

Volunteers Andrew Stager, Tim Russo, Zitria Vasquez and Khrystyna Cusimano were “Buddies” for Miracle League players Mario, Zach, Britney and Amanda. Britney was famous for asking others if she could cut the line to bat numerous times; She loved to bat.  Andy Kempt, Khrystyna and Zitria also registered players prior to the game starting. There will be another game set up mid-summer and MobilityWorks of Los Angeles will be ready to support this worthwhile event.

A behind-the-scenes short documentary on MobilityWorks appeared as part of the ION Network series World’s Greatest! The first airing of the show was Feb 6th, with additional airings taking place on February 13th and 20th at various times of the day.  

Featured in the documentary were several members of our Chicago IL staff, President/CEO Bill Koeblitz and wheelchair van client Jason Green.

MobilityWorks wheelchair van client Jason Green being interviewed for the World's Greatest! shown on ION TV. "This van is perfect for me. It feels so much better."

“I used to have to transfer into my mom’s little Ford Escort ZX2. We’d have to fold the chair up and jam it in the back… sometimes even leave it places. When it was raining and snowing, it was very hard to get around.”

         ~ Jason Green, MobilityWorks Client 

The series is designed to showcase unique companies and products offered throughout the world in a fast-paced five minute segment. On camera interviews emphasized a caring, knowledgeable staff that is trained to listen and truly understand the client’s needs.

“If you’re in a wheelchair, small things can make a big difference...  While you need to know what the client can’t do, it’s even more important to know what they are able to do.”

         ~ Bill Koeblitz, MobilityWorks President/CEO

---

About The World's Greatest!

World’s Greatest! is produced by award winning producers How 2 Media, an independent production company that airs various shows on several cable networks. ION Television is recognized by it’s slogan 'Positively Entertaining'. The network maintains a schedule of well-known series such as Cold Case, Criminal Minds and Without a Trace.

Tony Bandermann, one of the Certified Mobility Consultants in our San Jose store, discusses hand controls at a recent Abilities Expo.

Living in an internet world, many people don’t get to interact with others as much as they used to. Some people work from home offices or stay at home all day and never get to meet with anyone. E-mail and social networks have taken over the occasional phone call and face-to-face interaction that makes life more enjoyable. For many businesses, their workers never get a chance to meet or talk with their clients. We can’t imagine how some web-based companies can sell accessible vans strictly on the internet without doing an assessment of the client’s needs in person – or not provide local maintenance and repair services. But that's another story.

At MobilityWorks, we feel very fortunate in being able to serve our customers in a very personal manner, either at our stores, at a special event or with a visit to their home. Besides discussing our adaptive vehicle products and services (face-to-face) – and learning more about their wheelchair and physical abilities, we get to talk about their families, driving habits, travel issues and life in general. Whether it’s about their kids playing soccer or dad’s trips to the doctor, we really get to know our customers on a personal level. The more we know the better, because that helps us with determining the best solution for each individual need. Now and in the future.

Jeff Witt, our General Manager in Cincinnati explains some of the features of a Chrysler Town & Country wheelchair van.

We really like our job because we get to provide a product that helps people make the most out of life. Whether it’s a modified minivan, full-size conversion van, or scooter lift, we get to experience the joy they are feeling with that first sense of freedom and independence.  Unlike a lot of able-bodied people who seem to always be complaining about this or that in their lives, we’re struck time and time again by our customers and their “can do” attitude, sense of humor and determination. It’s really inspiring and humbling to see these men and women determined to not be held back by their physical challenges. I often ask myself if I am facing my day with that same resolve, gratitude and courage. 

Again, that’s why we really love our jobs here. Whether we’re selling a new conversion van with all the gadgets and equipment possible or making someone’s day with a used accessible wheelchair van – we know that we’re adding something valuable to a person’s life.

As 2012 begins, we want to thank our customers again for their patronage over the years. And for the example they set for us each and every day. We appreciate your business – and the examples you demonstrate that encourage others to keep moving forward. We’re glad we can be here for you. We hope that 2012 is a good year for everyone – especially our MobilityWorks clients across the United States! For our new website visitors here for the first time, if you’d like to learn more about our accessible wheelchair vans, please give us a call toll free at 1-877-275-4907 to schedule an appointment with one of our certified mobility consultants. We call them CMC’s for short. They’ll be glad to meet with you and your family – for many years to come.

“The common denominator with us is our wheelchairs... but it's not about the wheelchair. It's about our spirit, and how we just live life to the fullest.” — Angela Rockwood

The show documents the everyday challenges each women face, both physically and mentally. According to Sundance press, relationships are not off-limits -- as details about the girls dating, able-bodied boyfriends and a failed marriage will also be shared with the world.

The Push Girls Cast

Auti Angel was in a severe auto accident in 1992 that resulted in a spinal cord injury. She was a dancer before being paralyzed and has since continued her passion for dancing. In 2003 she became one of the founding members of the Colours ‘n Motion Dance Crew (aka Team Colours*), known for their many appearances at Abilities Expos and other disability awareness event around the country.

Mia Schaikewitz is a former competitive swimmer who suffered a rare brain hemorrhage as a 15 year old teenager. She went on to graduate from the University of Florida before moving out to California. Mia joined Auti Angel as a Colours’ in Motion dancer in 2008. Mia is now 32 years old.

Angela Rockwood was an aspiring actress and engaged to actor Dustin Nguyen (21 Jump Street) when she was involved in a tragic car accident that left her a quadriplegic. She has continued her acting career and is now an ambassador for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. You may recognize Angela from her role in the 2001 hit movie The Fast and the Furious.

Tiphany Adams was a senior in high school when she and her friends were hit by a drunk driver. She was the lone survivor, but not until after the EMT’s had already declared her dead at the scene. Requiring a significant amount of work to stop internal bleeding and to rebuild her shattered bones, she is truly a miracle. She has been a voice against drunk driving, including an appearance on the Dr. Phil show. Tiphany was also featured on the cover of New Mobility Magazine in December 2010. Tiphany wrote on her web site the following: “I feel it is my God given purpose to become the story told that after tragedy lies hope and promise of brighter days.”

Whatever your feelings about the show and any unwarranted comparisons to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (on Wheels), one thing is clear: these are confident, spirited women who overcame their physical challenges and live life to the fullest. Long before the show was conceived, they were role models to countless young women who also found themselves in a wheelchair wondering whether life can still be meaningful. The Push Girls answer is yes. MobilityWorks wishes them and the show the very best.

Before they were stars... 'Push Girls' Mia Schaikewitz (center) and Auti Angel (right) on the Conquest Motorcycle.

*sponsored by Colours Wheelchair. Photo courtesy of The Sundance Channel

Most people reading our blog or following us on Facebook know MobilityWorks for its consumer wheelchair van showrooms, service and rental centers. In the business world, however, we also lead the industry with commercial-use accessible vans used by our business clients throughout the country. Today, MobilityWorks announced the acquisition of Liberty USA of Michigan, a prominent reseller of rear-entry minivans to commercial fleet owners. We will also be selling a new minivan conversion under the Liberty brand name.

This opportunity to expand our offerings came about as demand for accessible vans in the taxi market has steadily increased over the last two years. New state and city government regulations have been pressing taxi fleet owners in certain areas to have a minimum percentage of their vehicles to be wheelchair accessible. This has been a long time coming for people who live in larger metro areas, such as New York City, and rely heavily on taxis for transportation. With the cost of fuel taking a larger bite out of their profits, these taxi companies are exploring van alternatives that can provide better gas mileage and lower maintenance costs. This announcement will also affect our consumer stores, as some of the Liberty minivans will also be made available for personal-use sales. 

This new Liberty rear-entry wheelchair accessible minivan is a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan.

MobilityWorks isn’t new to converting minivans for rear-entry accessibility. In fact, MobilityWorks has been building Dodge, Chrysler and Toyota wheelchair minivans for three years, in addition to its well-known Ford Transit Connect conversion. The difference with Liberty is in the engineering details of the design and the experience they bring to our commercial division. 

“Liberty is a well-respected name in the commercial fleet business” said Taylor Clark, President of MobilityWorks Commercial.  “They give us the expertise we need to best serve and grow the minivan taxi market.” 

With a new focus on minivans, and new innovative products like the Flex-Flat Ramp for rear-entry vans, MobilityWorks Commercial will provide the Taxi, Senior Care and Hospitality industries with a lower cost, lower maintenance vehicle needed to efficiently transport people in wheelchairs.

For more information on MobilityWorks’ new Liberty minivans, visit our Commercial Vans website.

My first experience with seeing a disabled golfer was memorable. I was around 16 years old when my father and uncle took me out to play at Shawnee Hills golf course in Bedford Ohio. While we were warming up at the tee, an elderly gentlemen approached with his pull-cart. “Mind if I play with you guys”, he said. As he got closer, I realized that he only had one arm. I remember thinking to myself, “how’s he going to do this”? My apprehension about his playing ability soon faded. His drives were down the middle, nearly 200 yards or more every time. I don’t remember the score, but let’s just say he beat all three of us.

It wasn’t until I was in my late 40’s that I would play another round of golf with someone who was physically challenged. I was working at MobilityWorks for only a few months when I was asked if I wanted to participate in a fund-raising golf event for Hattie Larlham, a local non-profit organization that provides care to children and adults with severe developmental disabilities. My playing partner was to be Don Johnston, a mobility consultant working for MobilityWorks at the time, who is in a wheelchair. I thought to myself, “how is this going to work”? Don was truly inspiring as he would hit the ball from his chair while using a self-modified driver. While not extremely long off the tee, he could hit a ball more than 150 yards on a consistent basis and almost always straight. After each hit, I would drive the golf cart up next to Don and he would transfer over into the seat. He would then pick up his wheelchair and hold it up on the side of the cart until we reached our balls down the fairway. He would roll up onto the green and make his putt, getting in and out of the cart several times for each hole (for all 18 holes). Cleveland Indians legend Lenny Barker was on the tee at the par 3, 10th hole when Don made it on the green with his drive. It was an experience I’ll never forget. Not because he was able to play the game pretty well, but because of his attitude and determination. And to challenge his own abilities. We played again not long after at Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Institute Challenge Golf course in Akron Ohio. This was his “home course” and he was determined to show me up. Needless to say, I lost the 9-hole round. The guy in the wheelchair beat the AB (able-bodied person). It was very humbling.   

I recalled these experiences with playing golf because they were so inspirational. I don’t remember the name of the elderly man with one arm, but I wish I did. Don eventually followed his passion and finished his teaching degree (another inspiring story for another day). He recently taught as a substitute teacher at my daughter’s high school and is hoping for a full-time position.

What brought about these fond memories, however, was a recent You Tube video sent to me by MobilityWorks President/CEO Bill Koeblitz. Bill wrote in his e-mail “this is really amazing”. And it is. The video is about a one-legged golfer named Manuel De los Santos. At the age of 18, Manuel was on top of the world. He was a talented young baseball player from the Dominican Republic and close to signing with the Toronto Blue Jays. Becoming a professional baseball player was all he could think about. It was every Dominican teenager’s dream. That was before a motorcycle accident that took most of his left leg. In an instant, his life changed.

What makes his story different isn’t that he continued to play sports with a prosthetic, as many of our amputee customers do. What makes De los Santos so unusual is his ability to swing a golf club without any prosthetic – balancing on one leg – and playing almost as good as a professional. After years of determined practice and thousands of swings, he now shoots in the 70s on some of the most challenging golf courses in the world. For those who follow professional golf, playing to a 3 handicap means that you are very, very good (with or without two legs).

Manuel De Los Santos recently shot a 76 at Royal St. Andrews

According to Manuel, he decided to take up golf after watching the The Legend of Bagger Vance, a Robert Redford directed film starring Will Smith, Matt Damon and Charlize Theron. The movie was more about the philosophical journey between two men (the pro golfer and his caddy) than the actual game of golf. When Manuel realized that he could balance and swing on one leg in his first attempt at a driving range, golf soon became his passion. Why he doesn’t play with the use of a prosthetic isn’t clear. Everyone deals with their own physical disability in his or her own way. Much like Bagger Vance, Manuel uses golf as a spiritual journey.

This You Tube video of him playing is amazing. His determination to get better is relentless. Now 26 years old, don’t be surprised if you see Manuel De Los Santos on television someday, playing alongside his golf idol Tiger Woods. This New Year’s Day, I’m going to make a resolution to challenge myself, like these three men have done. To do something special that I didn’t think I could do. I just don’t know what that is, just yet.

Most scooter and power chair lifts (for external vehicle transport) require a minivan, SUV, or larger sedan capable of carrying a heavier load. That’s all changed with the introduction of the Bruno Chariot, being marketed as a 'lift on wheels', now available at MobilityWorks locations throughout the country.

“This new product fills a niche in this industry that’s been a long time coming” said Doug Curtis, National Sales Representative for MobilityWorks.

“Some folks really need the gas mileage a smaller vehicle provides. Until now, they had to sell their car and get something bigger.”

Now you can haul a scooter with a smaller size car such as this one shown above.

The patent pending Chariot has a swivel-wheel design that allows for a smaller compact or mid-size auto to pull it with a simple Class I or Class II hitch. What this means is that you don’t have to have one of those bulky, protruding ball-mount hitches seen on pickup trucks. It also has an independent suspension and can fold up when not in use. When folded, a smaller car and hitch combined will fit inside many standard home garages.

Scooters and power chairs can be driven on and off the platform from both sides and comes with a retractable tie-down securement system. The 350 lb capacity lift is powered by the car battery and is easily operated with the push of a button. A manual backup system is also part of the design should the battery fail in an emergency. Brake lights and turn signals that connect to the vehicle wiring system are also included in the package.

If you’d like to learn more about the Bruno Chariot, send an e-mail to ask@mobilityworks.com. A new web page and flyer will be available on the MobilityWorks website soon.

For smaller companies that didn’t have a million dollar budget to catch up to major corporations, the idea of being able to compete with the big boys seemed an almost impossible task, particularly for highly searched phrases such as mobile phones and car insurance. Over the past few years, however, Google has made many changes to its search algorithm, in addition to changing the practice of accepting link farming techniques.

The game changer, however, has been the advent of Google’s newer algorithms to improve “local search” results.  What this means is that the Google now shows different results for different keyword phrases based on where they think you are physically located (by IP address). An IP address helps determine the city of your internet service provider and assumes you are nearby. It’s not a perfect system (especially for those on a corporate network), but for most people surfing the net at home the location is relatively close.  This is why you will sometimes see a map accompanying your search results with companies listed A, B, C etc. It is estimated that 25% of all searches contain local results. Everything from pizza shops to auto mechanics to plumbers can generate local results. Google knows for keywords such as these, the user is probably not looking for a pizza shop 500 miles away. And while a search for Donatos Pizza, as an example, may get you to their corporate website in another state, chances are you will be shown listings and a map with its local restaurant locations first.

Local search results display a mobility dealer based on location and user IP address. This is usually determined by the Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Search Tip: To get more accurate local results, another alternative is to enter in your own city and state manually to let Google know exactly where you are located. On the left hand side of a typical Google search page is an option to change the location settings.

Fortunately for MobilityWorks, all 14 of our store locations have been verified with Google Places, a service they provide that helps to keep local search as accurate as possible. With Places, a postcard is sent to the address with a security code for verification. A local phone number must also be entered, which Google also uses to verify the true existence of a location. It is a time-consuming process, but worth the effort to make sure you are showing up for local search results. With this feature, it creates a better experience for the user by not having to weed through dozens of irrelevant website results. We want everyone searching for handicap vans or wheelchair lifts to find a local NMEDA QAP mobility dealer that can provide face-to-face consultation, certified technicians for mechanical service and rental vans.

Another addition to Google search is the ability to preview the web page before clicking on it. This is a time-saver for those who often find themselves clicking on a link only to find it’s not really what they were looking for. This is why it’s so important to have your homepage adequately display what it is you sell or what services you provide. Sites that only show a Flash movie on their home page may look cool, but it's terrible for search engines. With the use of more smart phones, it's also becoming more important to make sure your site is “mobile friendly” for those visitors trying to find you with an Android, iPhone, Blackberry and other commonly used devices. MobilityWorks is working with our technical service providers to create alternative “mobile websites” and a visitor detection system so that we can better serve those who are on-the-go, or simply use their mobile device more-so than a laptop computer.

While we’re certainly not going to paint life as a bowl of cherries for our many friends who find themselves in wheelchairs (or scooters) this Hanukah and Christmas, we can look back with gratitude and see how far the wheelchair community has come.

The passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; the greater visibility we see in all corners of society by handicapped men and women who are competing, working, playing, and traveling; the greater number of large companies that are investing in the skillsets that men and women bring to the table, regardless of their mobility challenges; even the reflections we see on TV from the small but growing group of actors with disabilities who perform regularly, such as Michael Patrick Thornton of Private Practice, RJ Mitte of Breaking Bad, and Daryl Mitchell of Brothers…… In many very big ways, the disabled community is making its presence felt and doing so proudly.

At MobilityWorks we feel blessed to be part of this upwards movement, literally. The wheelchair vans, mini vans, commercial vans, and accompanying wheelchair & scooter lifts, docking systems and ramp assistants available at our 14 locations all help to empower our customers to make their worlds more accessible and more easily traveled. Our clients are the real heroes, but we’re deeply honored to be part of the journey as well. We can tell by the growing collection of client testimonials we receive monthly that we’re doing things the right way, but if you ever feel there’s more we can do, or something we’re just not getting right, please don’t hesitate to contact us immediately to set us straight.

And in the meantime, on behalf of everyone here at MobilityWorks, we wish you the happiest of Holiday Seasons and peace and goodwill in the New Year!

Regional Service Manager Trevorr Jurgensen speaks to the Life Care drivers.

MobilityWorks was honored to participate this past weekend at an in-service training session with Life Care Ambulance Inc. in Elyria, Ohio.

Led by Regional Service Manager Trevorr Jurgensen, our Akron service staff spent this past Sunday at the Life Care training facility with their entire driver staff. This type of training event provides for driver education on wheelchair safety-related products and to make recommendations on correct usage of all their adaptive equipment. Also on the agenda was to discuss day-to-day checks and maintenance, strap operation and overall safety issues. It was received very well by the Life Care staff and the question and answer session was great dialog.

Akron service staff perform safety inspections on vehicle wheelchair lifts and tie-down straps.

During this time, the team also performed vehicle, strap and lift inspections on 23 of their ambulette units. They performed simple maintenance, adjustments and lubrications to some slightly heavier repairs and were able to identify additional service and repair needs.

Our hats are off to the Akron service team and the drivers at Life Care to take the time on a Sunday to attend this in-service session. It is through this type of work that we develop a stronger working relationship with our Commercial clients who serve the disabled community and their local hospitals.

Our thanks to MobilityWorks’ Trevorr Jurgensen, Todd Slates, Joe Postlehwait, Tim Neal, Phil Pitcock and Rommie Carpenter  – who gave up their Sunday to assist with this educational event. 

About Life Care Ambulance, Inc.

Vehicles in the Life Care fleet being lined up for inspection.

Life Care has trained paramedics on staff and many different types of vehicles needed to respond to emergency incidents, as well as provide for non-emergency transportation in the Cleveland/Lorain metro area. Their fleet includes 22 ambulances and 25 wheelchair vans (provided by MobilityWorks Commercial Division), in addition to other specialty vehicles. They are the primary 911 provider for an area that covers 100 sq. miles, including four cities and two townships. They also provide for paramedic services at high school sporting events and bike patrols for special events.

Getting around in the snow and ice can be a major pain for most wheelchair users up North.

As the days get shorter and the nights get longer all across America, weather changes start to become more pronounced. More rain, then sleet, then snow starts to fall from the skies, and temperatures drop nationally. If you’re the fortunate populace who reside on the West Coast or in the South, these seasonal changes are not as drastic and won’t make as much difference in your lifestyle. But for Midwesterners and those dwelling in the Northern East Coast states, dramatic seasonal changes in the weather make quite a bit of difference that affect everyone. And for those who are physically-challenged, dramatic weather changes usually means huge adaptions. 

Many of our clients who use wheelchairs enjoy getting out to local stores, cafes, restaurants and corner shops, as well as visiting with family and friends in their own neighborhood. In many cases, they can travel on sidewalks, made easier lately with curbs that have modified for wheelchair use. But when the elements turn cold and leaves turn to snowflakes, enjoying an outdoor stroll becomes much more burdensome. Muddy puddles, icy sidewalks and banks of snow deposited by well-meaning property owners are barriers for wheelchair users that can limit the ability for independent travel. 

While we encourage everyone in wheelchairs to get out and enjoy their communities as best they can, alternative modes of transportation can change lives – especially during the cold, dark months of winter and the inclement weather that can last until spring. Handicap vans as provided by MobilityWorks make for an excellent solution toward regaining independence. Whether you’re capable of operating an accessible van by yourself – or would be a passenger with a dependable driver in a wheel chair van, your ability to travel will not be limited no matter how wet or cold the outdoor world becomes! 

Indeed, thanks to helpful advances in technology such as electric scooter lifts and the Power Pull Ramp Assistant, getting in and out of an accessible van or minivan has never been easier for our customers. MobilityWorks is proud to offer mobility assistance to men & women who are looking for ways to maximize their independence in every season. We have many client testimonials to show that our efforts and products are working for our customers.

So what are you waiting for – spring? Check out our wheelchair accessible van rentals today as a great way to “test-drive” a new lifestyle option for yourself or a loved one. Once you’ve seen how convenient and easy our adaptive vehicles and lifts can be, we’re pretty sure you’ll want to become one of our loyal customers…and stay out of the cold this winter season.