Mobility Minute with Ride-Away

The Perfect Fit For Your Child In Your Wheelchair Accessible Van  

At Ride-Away, we believe that your child should have access to proper equipment for safe transportation.  Finding the perfect fit for your child in your wheelchair accessible van can be a daunting task if you are unsure of what to look for, or which questions to ask your Mobility Consultant.  There are many factors to consider when transporting a child such as:

Safety & Positioning Inside the Vehicle

• The rear positions are the safest place for children under the age of 12, due to the impact a deploying air bag has.  Ride-Away will work with you to find the ideal position to transport your child for safety and convenience. 
• Being able to sit next to family and friends in the wheelchair accessible vehicle is important to your child.  We know in situations where this is desirable, your child sitting shoulder to shoulder with their brother and sister can feel more like one big happy family!

The Childs Physical Needs

• For a child with special needs who requires frequent observation/medical assistance during travel, being close to the driver or attendant may be critical.  Ride-Away has many options to meet your need and work with you to determine which will work best for you and your family.
• Will your child be transferring from their wheelchair to a seat in the vehicle?  If your child is able to transfer from their wheelchair to a seat in the vehicle, your mobility options may increase.

Room Inside The Vehicle

• The size of your family could impact which wheelchair accessible van you purchase.  For example, if you have a large family that travels, you may need more room for luggage or equipment.  A side-entry wheelchair accessible van might be a better option for you in this case. 
• You may also need enough room to make sure that any ancillary pieces of medical equipment are secured on the vehicle floor or underneath a seat.  In this case, a rear-entry wheelchair accessible van might be a better solution for you.

• Does your child have multiple wheelchairs that he or she uses? If so, it is important to inform your Mobility Consultant that your child uses multiple wheelchairs, so that each wheelchair can be measured.
• Is the headrest on your child's wheelchair adjustable, retractable, or flexible? This is an essential factor to consider during this process because the headrest could factor into how the wheelchair is positioned in the vehicle.

After you have taken into consideration each of these factors, the next step will be to measure your child's wheelchair.  The measurements that need to be taken include the following:

• The height from the top of the person's head (when sitting in the wheelchair) to the ground.
• The width of the wheelchair, from the outside of the wheel's hubs.
• The length of the wheelchair from the back of the rear wheels to the tip of the person's toes (when sitting)

Having these measurements available are very important when you are deciding on which wheelchair van will work best for you.  Believe it or not, communication between you and your Mobility Consultant has a lot more to do when it comes to measuring a wheelchair than you might think.  If you are not sure that your measurements are correct, contact one of our highly trained and knowledgeable Mobility Consultants to schedule an appointment to have your wheelchair measured for a wheelchair accessible van. 

We want to hear about your experiences and the challenges you have faced, so that we can better serve you!