B. Kimberlin wrote:
Jim,
I will not be driving my van, but I have also been told that I
need a full-size van by many people. The majority of individuals have
talked to seem to think the weight of my chair will be too stressful
for a minivan, but all of the comments on here give me reason for
pause. I would definitely love to be able to get into a smaller
vehicle. There was one quadriplegic who is about 4 inches smaller than
me in the wheelchair that had purchased a minivan and had a wheelchair
that weighed approximately the same as mine, but his van was brand new,
so I have no idea how well the van will hold up. I did get into his
van, but I was unable to sit all the way up and my visibility wasn't as
good as I would have liked. However, it was a fantastic to be able to
sit in the front area and look out the windshield. I get tired of
feeling like a burden in the backseat of my own van. To me this kind of
like the back of the bus was to other minorities. By the way I am
approximately 450 pounds i! n the wheelchair. That is my weight and the
wheelchair combined.
Lightweight! My old chair weighs 565 and my new one weighs 662. If
you go the minivan route, I would suggest getting the heavy duty towing
suspension and load leveling or air adjustable shocks. This should
eliminate any weight worries you might have.
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