MV-1 Revolutionary Wheelchair Accessible Van

I am raising money for a new wheelchair van - this time it will be one that I can actually drive up into! I\'ve been in my wheelchair since 2003 and, at that time, had to quickly get a vehicle that I could just get the chair into and I wasn\'t too worried about bells and whistles. The lift I currently have is in the back and is sort of like a crane that I hook the chair up to and then have to get out of the chair to swing it in and then I walk around to the front of the van and climb in. I like to stay active with various endeavors and over the years this has gotten more and more difficult and, well, it\'s  time for some bells and whistles!

Conversion vans (a regular van that is purchased and then converted into a wheelchair van) start out around $54k brand new and there are often still additional modifications to be made (lets face it, none of us are disabled in exactly the same way so there are always things to tweak and these things cost money too). There is a new van out on the market that is NOT a conversion van but is built at the factory to be a wheelchair van from inception. This thing is amazing and is considerably less expensive than a conversion van (although, still not cheap). Rather than explain all the features I attached the YouTube video above.


I have placed an order for an MV-1 vehicle (in Cherry Red!) to be delivered in January 2012. Why so far away? Because I need to raise the money! The money collected will go towards my new MV-1 and any modifications that I need for it to suit me specifically. I cannot begin to express how much this will increase my independence! I have lived in many states over the years and belonged to numerous volunteer organizations. My hope is that you will at the very least forward this to as many people as you know. Every little bit helps!

And if you\'re wondering about the van I have now? It has about 61k miles on it and is in great shape - to the point of mechanics complimenting me on how well I take care of it. I can always use it as a trade in towards the new van but if by some miracle enough is raised to get my new van without me having to do that, then I will GIVE my current van to another person in need who could benefit from the current modifications. So your generosity would actually be potentially helping two people keep or regain their independence!

I got to actually see and explore the MV-1 today at the Abilities Expo in Houston, TX and will be able to post a few pictures shortly. I love how roomy it is and how easy the whole process will be - and it is much cuter than a regular mini-van!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for forwarding this to friends and family and for anything else you can do. I will keep you posted on the progress and hopefully have pictures in my new cherry red van to show you in January!