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Wheelchair accessible vans4/11/2023 ![]() A wheelchair ramp allows a passenger to navigate themselves into the vehicle. ![]() Ramps have less moving parts than lifts, but require more vehicle conversion to lower the floor. This means that the floor of the minivan must be lowered at the entry point to get the ramp to meet ADA. Ramps are most common in minivans, and to meet ADA, the ramp is required to have a slope of 1:6. They also come in 800 and 1,000 pound weight capacities. Wheelchair lift platforms come in a few sizes, all of which meet ADA. A person in their 70s can just as easily operate a wheelchair lift as a person in their 20s. Lifts can be operated by anyone, they raise and lower with a handheld remote and raise with hydraulics. The lift is stored inside the vehicle, stowed in a folded, upright position. Once in the vehicle, the wheelchair and passenger are secured with wheelchair restraints and a passenger lap shoulder belt. There are two main methods for wheelchairs to enter vehicles: Wheelchair Lifts and Wheelchair Ramps.įound almost exclusively on full-sized vans, wheelchair lifts are designed to safely lift the passenger from ground level and raise them into the vehicle body. Knowing the characteristics of your neighborhoods, and whether there are large amounts of sloped driveways, is key to determining whether rear-loading vans will work for your application.įor a wheelchair to enter a vehicle, it needs to do so in a safe, comfortable manner that meets ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements. They can also pull back into personal driveways, and meet the wheelchair customer closer to their door/garage if their driveway does not have a restrictive slope to it. Rear-entry vans can fit into any sized parking space, even the standard width spaces whereas side-entry requires a wide handicap space to accommodate the side ramp. Rear-entry vans are less flexible than side-entry regarding loading/unloading passengers, but serve a purpose if there are no limitations on where you can do this. Rear-entry access vans are for fleets that can spend more time loading a wheelchair passenger, and in the case of minivans, are looking to spend a little less money on the vehicle. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, some fleets find the side-entry ramp to be a more dignified experience for the passenger, as opposed to entering the WAV in the rear cargo area. Rear-entry vans have difficulties finding parallel parking spaces long enough to accommodate the additional rear space needed to deploy the ramp or lift. Parallel parking will not create any issues with side-entry vans due to the fact that wheelchair access is at the curb. Loading a wheelchair passenger by simply pulling up to a curb, or a doorway in a roundabout is also a faster process. Because side-entry vans keep wheelchair passengers out of heavy-traffic areas, they are generally considered a safer option. With rear-entry vans, the wheelchair passenger will have to travel into the street, or into the flow of parking lot traffic to access the rear-tailgate entry point. Side-entry vans are vastly different from rear-entry vans. The convenience of curbside loading translates into most applications though and has typically been the most popular option for transportation professionals. Side-entry vans are preferred by fleets when routes or services require quick and safe loading of wheelchairs, which is best accomplished on the curbside of the vehicle.
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