If you have recently become a person with disabilities in a wheelchair or a senior with reduced strength that makes driving difficult, the jargon of the mobility industry is probably confusing. Terms like “accessible van” and “side entry wheelchair ramp” are self explanatory, but words like “adaptive,” “conversion” and others may be a little blurry to newcomers. Read More →

The upcoming New York Metro Abilities Expo in Edison, New Jersey on May 4-6 will be bigger and better than ever. With internationally known organizations and companies like—including NMEDA—you’ll find tons to wow about. But for people with disabilities and seniors, Abilities Expos offer much more. Read More →

After visiting NMEDA’s National Mobility Awareness Month website, you can’t help but be moved by the Local Heroes’ inspiring stories and videos. They put a face on those nominated – and you realize they could be neighbors, co-workers or the nice lady at the grocery store. Read More →

Looking for events of interest to people with disabilities and are accessible? Here’s a short list to check out and perhaps add to your calendar. Read More →

Spring has sprung and the greens are lush. It’s time to play golf! Don’t be left behind. Whether you want to learn the game or hone your skills, there is a golf program for those in a wheelchair, disabled veterans, amputees, those with a stroke, MS, cerebral palsy, vision impairments or any class of people with disabilities or mobility issues. Read More →

Spring is here. You can’t wait to splash around in that tempting pool while on vacation. But wait! As a person with disabilities, you may need a lift or ramp to get into the water. And not every public swimming pool or hotel pool offers an accessible lift or ramp. But they soon will. Just not as soon as we thought… Read More →

The Abilities Expo in Los Angeles is scheduled for March 30-April 1 for people with disabilities, their families, seniors, vets, caregivers and healthcare professionals. The Expo tailors thousands of product offerings, free workshops and events with new categories of products and services in free consumer workshops. Read More →

If you use a wheelchair, you probably know how to get into and out of a car safely. You’ve seen a certified driver rehabilitation specialist and know the rules. But it doesn’t hurt to go over them periodically, and perhaps correct some bad habits we’ve fallen into – and start the New Year off right.

The following guidelines increase safety for wheelchair-seated riders and drivers.

Where to sit

• If possible, transfer into the vehicle’s seat, which is crash designed for greatest protection.
• If you can’t, it is safest to have a WCl9-compliant, transit-ready wheelchair. Non-WCl9-compliant wheelchairs are generally not strong enough to withstand the impact forces that can result in a crash.
• WC19-compliant wheelchairs are designed for use as a motor-vehicle seat and have been crash-tested. Visit this website resource for more info on WC19-compliant wheelchairs.

Seat / safety belt

• Safety belts are the law in almost every state – and that applies to wheelchair users, so position the safety shoulder and lap belt correctly.
• To prevent a wheelchair-seated driver from hitting vehicle structures (windshield, dashboard, etc.) during a crash, it is important to use a safety belt system composed of a shoulder and lap belt that fit snugly across the pelvis, chest and shoulder – not the wheelchair belt.
• Wheelchair belts have not been crash-tested and some are designed to break away from the wheelchair when in a crash. Exceptions are WC19-compliant wheelchairs that come with crash-tested safety belts.

Feeling tied down is a good thing

• Always use a crash-tested securement system to safely anchor the wheelchair using a 4-point tie-down system to keep it stationary – whether you are sitting in the vehicle seat or in the wheelchair.
• An automatic lock-down system will also work to make the manual tie-down system easier. It connects to a bracket installed on the bottom of the wheelchair, allowing independent wheelchair securement.

This mobility safety update has been brought to you by NMEDA – the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. Need some information on how to make your vehicle wheelchair accessible or upgraded with the latest and most convenient features? Contact a NMEDA dealer in your local area. Your local NMEDA member is a mobility equipment and accessibility expert!