Thanks RC. Keep up the great work. :-)
When I checked on the paraquad.org link just posted to see if it worked, it didn't for some reason (1997 perhaps, LOL)
It works for me aside from being at this site; so, who knows.
NOTE! FYI - GM's site is other than listed below. It's
http://www.gmmobility.com Here's the content:
Car Talk
as reprinted from Mainstream Magazine - August 1997 Edition
Think about any big metropolis at rush hour--New York, Los Angeles, Boston or Chicago, for example. The sheer mass of vehicles is awesome.
That's not a bad analogy for the range of choice when you're ready to purchase an everyday vehicle. Where do you begin? First, the category. Car,
truck or van.
For those of us who use power chairs or scooters, or who stay in our chairs when riding or driving, the van--whether full size or mini--is the only
way to fly. But thousands of other people with disabilities, some of whom use manual chairs, use cars or pickup trucks.
Once you've picked the category, the real work begins. Variations in the models available can keep you looking around for what seems forever.
Chair users, for instance, want a car into which they can easily haul their chair, whether or not they pop off the wheels. The number of cars in
which drivers could stow their chairs easily behind the driver's seat began to shrink a few years ago, but some are still available. Of course, you
could also get one of those cartop wheelchair carriers.
And the ordeal doesn't end when the automobile model has been selected. You have to decide on the types of modifications to get. Where, for
example, is the ignition switch? For people with hand, wrist or arm impairments, this can be a key question.
What about the seats? Are they power up and down as well as front to back? The issues are many, depending on your particular requirements.
For anyone with lower body or leg impairments, pedal extensions or hand controls can be essential. There are several options: permanent or
portable, for instance. And there are many manufacturers of good hand controls, but you need to shop around and determine what works best for
you.
Once you've decided between a car and a van, and have chosen hand controls over pedal extensions, you then have to ask yourself, "How am I
going to pay for all this?" And once you're on the road, still another question arises: "What am I going to do if my car breaks down?"
Fortunately, a number of automakers have come to regard people with disabilities as a viable market, and have begun wooing them with a variety
of offers and programs. The "Big Three"--Ford, GM and Chrysler--now recognize disabled drivers as an important segment of the auto-buying
public.
Ford's Mobility Motoring Program provides up to $1,000 in cash assistance for the purchase and installation of adaptive equipment in new Ford
vehicles. This includes items such as lifts and hand-controls, as well as alerting devices for drivers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. The program
also offers emergency roadside assistance.
GM's and Chrylser's programs are similar. GM also provides prospective buyers with a listing of local companies that sell and install adaptive
equipment, along with $1,000 in cash reimbursement.
For information on the Big Three's programs, you can contact the companies directly:
Ford Mobility Motoring Program
MMP Headquarters, P.O. Box 529, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
800/952-2248 (voice), 800/833-0312 (tty)
http://www.ford.com/mobilitymotoring GM Mobility Assistance Center
P.O. Box 9011, Detroit, MI 48202
800/323-9935 (voice), 800/833-9935 (tty)
www.gm.com
Chrysler Corporation Automobility
P.O. Box 3124, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
800/225-9877 (voice), 800/922-3826 (tty)
www.chryslercorp.com
For information on hand controls and driving aids, check out the following manufacturers.
Access Unlimited, 570 Hance Road, Binghamton, NY 13902; 800/849-2143 (voice), 607/669-4595 (fax); www.accessunlimited.com
Ahnafield Corp., 3219 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46222; 800/636-8060 (voice), 317/636-8098 (fax)
Assistive Technology Int'l, Inc., 65 Ryan Drive, Box F5, Raynham, MA 02767; 508/884-8970 (voice), 508/884-8961 (fax)
Automobility Mfg. Corp., 128 Sixth Avenue East, Regina, SK, S4N 5A5, Canada; 800/470-7067 (voice), 306/525-0282 (fax)
Creative Controls, Inc., 32450 Dequindre, Warren, MI 48092; 800/539-7237 (voice), 810/939-8400 (fax)
Crescent Industries, 191 Washington Street, Auburn, ME 04210; 207/777-3500 (voice), 207/777-3522 (fax)
Drive Master Corp., 9 Spielman Road, Fairfield, NJ 07004; 973/808-9709 (voice), 973/808-9713 (fax);
drivemasterl@aol.com Driving Aids Development Corp., 9417 Delancy Drive, Vienna, VA 22182; 800/767-6435 (voice), 703/281-5213 (fax);
dadc500@ibm.net Gary E. Collie, Inc., 5457 Ruffin Road, Suite B, San Diego, CA 92123; 619/279-9710 (voice), 619/279-1082 (fax)
The Hand Drive Company, 211 Orchard Street, Golden, CO 80401; 800/224-8156; 303/271-3878 (fax); www.handdrive.com
Handicaps, 4335 S. Santa Fe Drive, Englewood, CO 80110; 800/782-4335 (voice), 303/761-6811 (fax)
Judson Enterprises, Inc., P.O. Box K, Johnstown, CO 80534; 800/587-5212 (voice), 970/587-1212 (fax); www.blvd.com/judson/index.html
Kroepke Kontrols, 104 Hawkins Street, Bronx, NY 10464; 718/885-1100 (voice), 718/885-1110 (fax);
kroepke@mail.idt.net McSquared Design, P.O. Box 712, Rainelle, WV 25962; 800/622-9912 (voice), 304/438-5043 (fax)
Manufacturing and Production Services, 7948 Ronson Road, San Diego, CA 92111; 800/243-4051 (voice)
Mobility Products and Design, 14800 28th Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55447; 800/488-7688 (voice), 612/557-8310 (fax)
Wells-Engberg Company, P.O. Box 6388, Rockford, IL 61125; 800/642-3628 (voice), 815/227-9737 (fax)
Wright-Way, Inc., 175 East Interstate 30, Garland, TX 75043; 800/241-8839 (voice), 972/240-0412 (fax)
For motorcycles: Yes, You Can, P.O. Box 376, Hygiene, CO 80533; 303/931-5027 (voice);
yesyoucan@juno.com Return to the General Information Page
I'm not trying to rain on anyones parade, but I could have applied for my VA online too.
But after talking to VA itself, I was told it was better to use Disabled Vets, or another Vets group rather than an *online* capability.
I'm glad I did.
It only took 15 months from beginning to end to complete my process.
I know that isn't the case for everyone, (I wish it were). But I heard that the online way of fileing can REALLY get messed up.
So I'm just putting this out there as a warning.
I went through my county.
I had an awesome experience and was treated with respect and dignity. From my VA Rep, the VA hospitals and from every person I spoke with in the VA system.
I just wanted to say I've heard the ONLINE process can get messed up.
Then you don't have a PERSON to verify you have filed and who has a FILE to back up that proof.
Just MHO.
God Bless, VH&W
I'm almost embarrassed to be a disabled vet. I have 10% for tinnitus (ear ringing) and 10% for shoulder problems. I take it cause it's offered.
I'm officially a disabled combat vet, but I'm kind of ashamed to take advantage of the system, it's not like I have problems because of enemy action.
Disabled vets are not always what they seem.
Hey, sorry if this was a confusing post I did. It wasnn't about VA disability. Just a place I found for disabled vets. Or for that matter, any disabled person needing help driving.
What's so ~ is ~ what's so.
Never be ashamed of it.
It is useful info, JLO. Thank you.
