Van modification?

[hopeandgrace]

Has anyone had their car modified before?

I don’t need it yet, and I remember someone giving me a tip about it and checking with my state’s Dept of Rehabilitation. But aside from the costs and assistance with that, anyone have any kind of lift or chair assist they really like?

I saw this one on the Empowered Para YouTube channel. If anyone has any recommendations for other kinds and can share their experience, would love to hear.

adaptsolutions.com/product/...

She did mention that hers has needed repairs and parts replaced in the 2 years she has had it, which is a bummer.

Thanks!

[palomino27]

I have a Toyota Sienna that's been converted to drive from my wheelchair. It's got hand controls for gas/brake and a ramp that folds out. It's pretty neat.Before that, when I could still somewhat walk, I drove a Kia Sorento with hand controls.

Then you have to take an adaptive driver's education course. It's quick but kinda pricey, but required.

I had to take a driving test again thru the DMV with the hand controls. They then put a restriction on your License to only drive with hand controls.

Multiple Sclerosis Society of America helped pay for the cost of hand controls. Getting assistance for a vehicle is possible, but difficult

My Sienna van was $38K used in 2020 and it's a 2012 with 55k miles.

A new 2022 is like 90k.

The conversion is more expensive then the actual van itself.

Because of that, Insurance is expensive.

[hopeandgrace in reply to palomino27]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply!

When the van was converted to hand controls, does that mean there are no more pedals/ cannot be driven in the regular way? I wonder if it means that the van would be exclusively for me to drive?

And how much did your insurance go up? If you don’t want to give an actual number, maybe can you estimate percentage it went up?

Did MSSA pay for the ramp as well? Or just the hand controls?

If this is too much to write out here, please feel free to send a chat message.

Appreciate your help!

[palomino27 in reply to hopeandgrace]

No just financial assistance for part of the hand controls. There are other places to get financial assistance for the whole van and ramp and such. But it can take 6-18months to get financial assistance for a whole converted van. I had to pay out of pocket for most of my van.

Insurance went up by about 40% because the conversion doesn't lose value like the van will.

If you just want hand controls in your van it can probably done on your current van. If you want the full conversion for like with driving from a wheelchair you will probably have to trade in you current van. The full conversion is very extensive.

The driver's seat is removable in my van and can be put back in to drive with the pedals. There is a button I must press each time I start the van to activate the hand controls otherwise it defaults to the pedals.

I have the SureGrip Featherlite hand controls which actually tie into the onboard computer. They are the best I've used and I've used many both mechanical and computer controlled.

Is there a mobility dealer near you? I used "Mobility Works". I believe they are a national chain.

The first thing you need to do is get evaluated for which controls are best for you. I now have the push/rock style. But when evaluated I was approve for three different kinds. Push/Rock, Push/Pull and Push/Right Angle.

I would recommend doing all this before you need or might need a wheelchair. So much easier and I'm so glad I did. The dumb DMV driver test too. The state doesn't just let you drive with hand controls....

Your MS doctor may have info on this in your area. If you have had any Physical Therapists or Occupational Therapists they should as well.

Hope this helps

[hopeandgrace in reply to palomino27]

I feel like my only hesitation with trying to do it early is that I won’t qualify? Like would they accept my diagnosis and the fact that I MIGHT need a wheelchair in the coming years?

[palomino27 in reply to hopeandgrace]

Yes the eval will take that into account.Financial assistance usually won't.

I got hand controls in my car when I was still only having trouble walking and especially foot drop issue. MSAA helped pay for those.

Then I fell and broke my hip and am now in a wheelchair and have the full converted van. No further Evals, training or driving tests were need to drive from my wheelchair since I was already driving with hand controls for about 18 months or so.

[hopeandgrace in reply to palomino27]

Oh ok, good to know. Bummer about your hip though! Glad you are still driving to get around.

[hopeandgrace in reply to palomino27]

I contacted MSAA and got a reply to basically check with National MS Society.

Was it MSAA that helped to pay for it or National MS Society?

[palomino27 in reply to hopeandgrace]

Yes it was the National MS Society sorry.There are other places like the National MS Foundation as well. The Brian Resch Foundation too, but that one takes a long time to qualify for, but they pay more.

[mrsmike9]

My 2 disabled boys use Voc Rehab to fi d jobs. When I had them at the office I was told that should I, at some point, need car modifications, that's something they pay for. (This is Indiana but I believe it's a federal thing.)

[palomino27 in reply to mrsmike9]

Yes there is financial assistance.

BUT, it takes a super long time to get approved. Unfortunately, It's usually a painful process...

[mrsmike9 in reply to palomino27]

Of course it is. It's the government!

[green244]

We always seem to have too much money to qualify for government programs so we have paid for everything ourselves. First of all, we have a 2005 Toyota Sienna that we purchased when our kids were still at home and we have maintained all these years. It only has 120k miles on it and we hope it lasts to 200k miles, but, if not, our plan is to buy a used van that has already been converted. Luckily, we have a local conversion shop and they always have used vans for sale. Dodge Caravans tend to be the cheapest and most prevalent. Anyway, one of the first things we bought was a spinner for the steering wheel. Since my husband’s left arm became compromised early on in his disease, this allowed him to turn the car with one hand. Spinners are cheap. We also bought an extension device for the turn signal lever that allowed him to operate it with his right hand. Soon after, while he was still driving and walking short distances, but started using a scooter away from home, we put a Backpacker Plus in the van. We essentially lost the 3rd row of seats as they had to be permanently collapsed. But, this allowed my husband to unload the scooter himself when he got to work and also made it easier on me to unload. The nice thing about this as opposed to a side ramp is that you can park in any parking space in a lot and still unload. Of course, once he stopped being able to walk we needed a little more side space to bring the scooter to him. This year he stopped being able to assist much with transfers and can only stand for 40 seconds and cannot take a step of any kind. Therefore, we bought a Braun Evo seat to replace the front passenger seat. It turns, comes out of the van, and drops down to scooter or wheelchair level. This helps me enormously with the transfers. He doesn’t go out much anymore for a variety of MS related issues so the van doesn’t get much use. It would be a waste of money at this point to sink $80k in a new modified Sienna. All these things have happened over the course of years since 2013. MS is slow and you can go for many years with simple modifications. No need to take the jump into a fully modified vehicle until you need it. I have a 68 year old friend who is still walking, but uses a scooter that her husband loads through a rear ramp into a small SUV. You may find, like we did, that by the time you need it, you won’t be driving as much and a used car is adequate.

BTW, one thing we purchased this year that we have found surprising helpful is a small aluminum curb ramp. For example, we had dinner at our neighbor’s house this summer and he had a two inch drop from his garage to the back yard walkway. The curb ramp made that easy to navigate. We have also used it in other friends homes to help get in the front door. Some homes are just not navigable, but it works for a few.

[hopeandgrace in reply to green244]

Thank you so much for these details!