Rental Car and wheelchair

[allie_to_you]

We are planning a trip to Disney in September and are working on getting a rental car. My DH is in a wheelchair and can't use his legs at all, so we are trying to find a vehicle that my husband can transfer to from his wheelchair by himself. We know he can do a regular car as that's what we have at home, but since there will be 3 adults and a baby, we are considering a small SUV or mini-van. Does anyone who might have one of these and be in a wheelchair know if he would be able to transfer into the passenger seat of one of these...basically the height of the seat is the issue and whether he'd be at a level with the car seat and his wheelchair to maneauver into the vehicle.

 

[peemagg]

I would think something along the lines of a Windstar or Town and Country would be the closest to a regular car. Although they still might be a bit higher seats than a regular car. Maybe look into a handicap accessible van where he doesn't need to get out of his chair or can transfer to a seat after rolling up into the van.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you look in the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there are some places listed that rent wheelchair accessible vans with ramps and wheelchair tie downs. These are mores expensive to rent, buy he would not have to transfer at all, as he could roll his wheelchair right into the van.

Most cars and vans do have some ability to adjust the height of the seat, but depending on the vehicle, it might not have enough adjustment to meet your DH's needs. Some of the vehicles are just higher off the ground than others.
Even most small SUVs usually have the seat much higher off the ground than most cars. Some vans have seats higher off the ground than others.
I agree with peemagg that the Windstar or Town and Country are probably some of the lower vans.

I'd suggest looking at some of the rental companies and see what kind of vehicles they carry. I looked at Dollar, for example and found they have only mid-size SUVs listed - Jeep Liberty (or similar). That's a pretty high SUV.
For vans, they list Dodge Caravan (or similar). The problem is the "or similar", that you may not know exactly what you will get. I looked at Hertz and couldn't really tell what kinds of vehicles they rent.
I would suggest measuring the seat height of your car and then having your DH make an estimate of how much higher or lower would likely work for him. Even if the companies don't list an easy way to contact anyone for special needs, they should have someone who should be able to help you if you call with the seat heights and see what they have. After you know that, you might be able to go to a car dealer to actually see those models. Sometimes, the height might be OK, but the way things are arranged may not work. If you find one you think will work, call and ask if they can guarantee that type for you because of your DH's needs related to his disability.

I know there are several people who post on this board that are paraplegic. They might be able to give some better suggestions.

 

[redrosesix]

If you look in the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there are some places listed that rent wheelchair accessible vans with ramps and wheelchair tie downs. These are mores expensive to rent, buy he would not have to transfer at all, as he could roll his wheelchair right into the van.

Most cars and vans do have some ability to adjust the height of the seat, but depending on the vehicle, it might not have enough adjustment to meet your DH's needs. Some of the vehicles are just higher off the ground than others.
Even most small SUVs usually have the seat much higher off the ground than most cars. Some vans have seats higher off the ground than others.
I agree with peemagg that the Windstar or Town and Country are probably some of the lower vans.

I'd suggest looking at some of the rental companies and see what kind of vehicles they carry. I looked at Dollar, for example and found they have only mid-size SUVs listed - Jeep Liberty (or similar). That's a pretty high SUV.
For vans, they list Dodge Caravan (or similar). The problem is the "or similar", that you may not know exactly what you will get. I looked at Hertz and couldn't really tell what kinds of vehicles they rent.
I would suggest measuring the seat height of your car and then having your DH make an estimate of how much higher or lower would likely work for him. Even if the companies don't list an easy way to contact anyone for special needs, they should have someone who should be able to help you if you call with the seat heights and see what they have. After you know that, you might be able to go to a car dealer to actually see those models. Sometimes, the height might be OK, but the way things are arranged may not work. If you find one you think will work, call and ask if they can guarantee that type for you because of your DH's needs related to his disability.

I know there are several people who post on this board that are paraplegic. They might be able to give some better suggestions.

We had the Jeep Liberty at Alamo on our past trip -- I found the seats almost too high for me to get in. I'm quite sure that a small SUV would not work for you. My dad would have never been able to get into it, even with help.

Some of the agencies have PT Cruisers, and their seats aren't much higher than most cars.

 

[SueM in MN]

We had the Jeep Liberty at Alamo on our past trip -- I found the seats almost too high for me to get in. I'm quite sure that a small SUV would not work for you. My dad would have never been able to get into it, even with help.

Some of the agencies have PT Cruisers, and their seats aren't much higher than most cars.

When I looked at the different websites, there was also quite a lot of variation in the types of SUVs they had. Some had several different types.

One thing I noticed was that all the companies had Voyager/Caravan (which are basically the same) or similar. So, if one of those types of vans would work for you, you might be better off with a van than trying for an SUV.

 

[Mary976]

Some of it might depend on how he does with different cars at home. Do you have friends or neighbors who would let him practice with their vehicles? Does he have a transfer board that he uses and will he be bringing it with him?

I agree that the Plymouth Cruiser might give you a little extra space while still being an easy transfer. I think the Chevy HHR is similar. One option might be to rent from a company that will let you try different vehicles before you commit to one. Enterprise has always been good about letting us switch cars if the first one didn't work for DD (or her chair didn't fit easily in the back). Which brings me to my final point...you'll want to be sure that you can get the chair in the trunk with a minimum amount of difficulty.

Mary