So you’ve got a wheelchair van – and you’re traveling safely in style! Now, how do you make the most of your investment? What’s the best way to manage your wheelchair accessible van maintenance?
We asked Bussani Mobility Team’s Service and Production Manager, Dan Walsh, to share some of his best tips for making sure your wheelchair accessible vehicle goes the distance.
1. Use It – Letting a vehicle sit around can be just as harmful as excessive use. Did you know that a three-year-old wheelchair van with under 10,000 miles will often need new tires or hoses or gaskets, all due to dry rot? Keeping your vehicle on the move helps slow down corrosion.
2. Regular Maintenance – Keeping up with your scheduled maintenance is as important to your conversion as oil is to your engine. That includes proper lubricants, alignment, and most important, upgrades.
3. Find a Service Facility You Trust – Don’t go to just any service facility. Trust your instincts. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
4. Understand Your Manual Overrides – Let’s face it, problems do occur. And you need to know how to handle any situation. For instance, your wheelchair accessible van is equipped with manual overrides to allow you to deploy the ramp if there’s a mechanical problem or accident. Knowing how to use that system will make the difference between a minor inconvenience and a complete frustration.
5. Trade It! –Maintain the value of your vehicle. One way to do this is by trading in your van for a newer product while the value is still high, instead of driving it into the ground and then looking to trade.
And remember that Bussani Mobility Team provides you with 24-hour, one-stop service. Our certified technicians know all the ins-and-outs of adaptive vehicles, in a way that a regular mechanic just doesn’t understand. Brakes, tune-ups, tires, auto body, glass repair…you name, we do it. We’re here to help you make the most of your investment…and to keep you road-ready and safe at all times.
Have you seen the Action Trackchair all-terrain wheelchair? This baby really gives you access. You have the power and the torque to conquer sand, mud, snow, mountain roads, campgrounds, the woods, and other surfaces.
See it in the woods!
See it on the sand!
OTP Mobility Inc., the exclusive Long Island LosGroup Inc. dealer of the chair, is doing an event this Saturday, May 12, so people can try out the Action Trackchair on the sand. They’re also looking to raise awareness and are pushing for accessibility at the parks. Check it out from 1-6pm at Sunken Meadow State Park (Rte. 25A and Sunken Meadow Parkway, Kings Park, NY). The group is meeting in Field 1 in front of the park office and will head to the food pavilion on the boardwalk for sign-in. The rain date is May 17. For more info call 631-702-5302.
“I’m paralyzed from the neck down, and I can walk but with difficulty. To get to the beach and to be outdoors is the best therapy one can ask for,” said Larry Keller, President & CEO of OTP Mobility Inc. “The Action Trackchair floats on the sand, no matter how soft it is. It really goes the distance as far as getting you wherever you want to be without worrying about getting stuck. That’s real freedom.”
Located on Long Island Sound, Sunken Meadow State Park is a beautiful place to spend the day with loved ones. Its three miles of beach meets tall, glacier-formed bluffs at the west end of the shoreline. A man-made dam separates the park’s brackish creek and marshes from the tidal flats. South of the flats are acres of undeveloped and heavily-wooded rolling hills. Activities include swimming in Long Island Sound; hiking six miles of trails, including the northern starting point of the Suffolk County Greenbelt Trail; biking, horseback riding, picnicking, kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, fishing, a ¾ mile boardwalk, cross-country skiing, and a 27-hole golf course.
Sometimes the simplest moments are those that we hold the most dear…like a walk in the park with a loved one or a holiday dinner with the whole family. Let me tell you a little story about how Bussani Mobility Team helps make dreams come true…
 Johnny was injured from birth, and he’s been living in a group home since he was 5. Now 18, he had been the only family member missing from all of the holiday photos, because there just wasn’t any way to transport him to and from family gatherings. Until a few months ago, when the Boutin family purchased a Town & Country wheelchair accessible van that was custom-fitted by Bussani Mobility Team for Johnny’s needs.
The van arrived just in time for Christmas. And to make the holiday even sweeter, one of Johnny’s brothers had just returned from serving as a Marine in Afghanistan, and his other brother was about to be deployed into the Army. This year, all the brothers, his sister, parents and grandparents were especially joyous.
His mom Laurie Boutin, said: “Finally, my parents have a holiday picture with all of their grandchildren in it. We hadn’t been all together with the whole family since Johnny was 4 ½ years old.”
Having the wheelchair accessible van changed everyday life for the Boutins, as well. Before, when Johnny would have to go to the hospital, the family had to call an ambulance because of his trach tube. Sometimes, they would wait up to three hours for another ambulance to return him home.
“That would never happen now,” commented Laurie. “I can take him wherever he needs to go. My influence is so much bigger again in his life. And when Johnny gets to travel, he loves it. He smiles from ear to ear – and he’s mobile! Sometimes we go to a nearby park and stroll around. That was never an option before. We get to explore together, and it’s opened up a whole new world for him and for us.”
Laurie’s advice to people with physical disabilities or those caring for them: “If there’s any way possible that you can get a wheelchair accessible van, do it. It will increase your independence.”
The National Mobility Awareness Month “Local Heroes” contest is well underway…and 3 FREE wheelchair accessible vans are still up for grabs!
Bussani Mobility Team is supporting a nationwide contest sponsored by the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA). They’re looking for three “Local Heroes” in North America who will receive free adapted vehicles!
Mike Savicki, who a quadriplegic triathlete and 69-time gold medalist, and is the spokesperson for National Mobility Awareness Month, said: “Sure, I knew there would be challenges after my accident, but it never stopped me from pursuing my passions, whether it was golfing, skiing, cycling or sailing. I got involved with this awareness project because I’ve been celebrating mobility for the greater part of my life and I wish the world would join me even if only for a month.”
And he had more to say about adaptive vehicles: “The first time I got behind the wheel of my new van, a feeling of liberation came over me. It was as if my disability was just stripped away. I felt free again. I could explore, travel and live on my own all over again. That van gave me mobility, it gave me the self-confidence I never thought I’d experience again.”
To enter the contest, just go to www.MobilityAwarenessMonth.com, but you only have until May 13. All you need to do is submit either a picture and written story (up to 400 words) or videotaped story (1-3 minutes long) of how you’ve overcome or are dealing with mobility issues. Then, encourage others to vote for you at the site from April 1-May 13 to help determine the winners. Remember to include code #777 (representing Bussani Mobility Team) to get five extra votes the first time each person votes. Caregivers, friends and family members are also welcome to submit entries for others.
In May, the winners of the National Mobility Awareness Month contest will receive their fantastic new vehicles on a national TV show such as “Good Morning America” or “Ellen.”
Good luck! You or someone you know could be a big winner!
This year’s NY Auto Show at the Javits Center was as spectacular as it has always been. Some of the engineering marvels and futuristic concept cars just had to be seen to be believed! Take the Terrafugia Transition (a flying car!) or the SRT Viper (one of the world’s fastest cars with 640 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque).
Bussani Mobility Team was there, too, at the NMEDA (National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association) booth. Our featured products may not have been quite as fantastic and flamboyant as some of the others, but they do change people’s lives. We showcased a Braun Entervan fitted for use by people with physical disabilities – and we helped spread the word to the general population about wheelchair accessible vans and other adaptive automotive solutions that are available today.
We were also proud to take part, through the Wounded Warrior Project, in donating a wheelchair accessible van to a disabled American veteran. Corporal Christopher Melendez of New York state, who was injured in Iraq, received his new vehicle at the NY Auto Show’s opening ceremony. Kia Motors America supplied a 2012 Kia Soul hatchback, which we modified to meet his needs, including adding a steering wheel device that allows him to turn the steering wheel using one hand while maintaining complete control of the wheel and car at all times. Want to hear more about it? Click here to see an article in the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch.
Posted in Vehicle Donations
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Tagged adaptive vehicles, Bussani Mobility, Bussani Mobility Team, mobility, mobility solutions, New York Auto Show, New York wheelchair accessible vans, NY Auto Show, people with disabilities, wheelchair accessible vans, wheelchair van donation
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Spring has sprung…and the races have begun!
We hope you’ll gather your friends and join us on April 22 (9am start) at the Wantagh High School for this year’s Testaverde 5K Run/Walk Race for Spinal Cord Victory.
The race course is flat, with only four turns and long straightaways – perfect for wheelchair users and able-bodied participants alike. Some 4-legged doggie companions have even joined in the fun in previous years!
Bussani Mobility Team will be right by your side, urging you on…because we’re providing the pace car van for the event. And we couldn’t be happier that many of our staff will be taking part in the run, too.
Plus there will be raffles for a flat-screen TV…and much more!
The event is being sponsored by the Testaverde Fund for Spinal Cord Injury, Inc., which raises money for spinal cord injury research and provides community outreach and educational programs. The Testaverde Fund provides help to people in the Long Island community who are newly injured and their families.
Check out these photos from previous runs and other events organized by Testaverde – like Wheels2Water surfing and rugby for people with physical disabilities! Inspiring stuff!
Sunday, April 22 at 9 am. It’ll be a good day of celebrating community and it’s a great cause that’s near and dear to all of our hearts. Hope to see you there…
Have you ever been to the NY Auto Show? That’s the place to be to touch, feel and explore the hottest cars and trucks ever seen under one roof! It’s always an exciting event – and you won’t believe some of the futuristic innovations that you’ll see there! This year, show management tells us there will be more sneak peeks, more brand new 2012 and 2013 production models, and more concept vehicles than ever before. And you know what else will be there? Wheelchair accessible vans!
Bussani Mobility Team will be at the NMEDA (National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association) booth – and so will a Braun Entervan fitted for use by people with physical disabilities. We’ve been at the show for the past few years. And we feel it’s a great way to spread the word to the general population about adaptive automotive solutions that are available today, including wheelchair and scooter accessible vans, hand controls, foot controls, lifts, tie-downs…and more. These are the products that can help give people with disabilities their freedom and their lives back. And that’s a message that we want everyone to hear!
Stop by to see us in the NMEDA booth at the New York International Auto Show (April 6-15 at New York City’s Jacob Javits Center).
We’ve just unveiled a new advertising campaign that encourages people with physical disabilities to go out and live their dreams!The ads are also designed to raise awareness of adaptive automotive solutions among the general public.
Carrying a tag line of “If You Can Dream It, We Can Get You There,” the ads feature inspiring photos of people in wheelchairs living active lifestyles, with the adaptive vehicles provided by Bussani Mobility Team giving them full access to all that life has to offer. The campaign focuses on the key lifestyle segments of: Seniors, Families, Romance, Sports, and Adventure.
Click here to see the ad!
“Our vision has always been to help people with disabilities regain their ability to enjoy full and complete lives,” said Daniel Bussani, Vice President at Bussani Mobility Team. “Having a vehicle that’s been fitted to their special needs gives our customers a true gift…the experience of regaining their independence. We hope that some of our ad placements will help to educate caregivers and the general population about how adaptive mobility vehicles can change peoples’ lives and give them new hope to live out their dreams.”
The “Dreams” ad campaign is part of a multi-faceted awareness program that Bussani Mobility Team is implementing throughout the year. Other components of the program include: open houses, educational sessions for healthcare practitioners and other key influencers, sponsorship of local sports events, vehicle donations, contests, social media campaigns, and publicity campaigns.
Life certainly moves at a fast pace these days! And we could all use a little support from time to time. That’s why we’re forming a new local support community by and for people with physical disabilities.
This will be a warm and friendly place where we’ll talk openly about the things that can make our everyday lives go more smoothly…like new products, services, and resources to help with mobility, wellness and other life challenges. We’ll share our stories, our challenges, and our successes. Talking to each other can make all of our experiences easier.
Everyone is welcome: people with physical disabilities, your family or significant other, and those who care for people with special needs.
We’re going to meet once a month at the offices of Bussani Mobility Team in Bethpage, NY.
Would you like to become part of our community? Contact Denise Caiazzo at dcaiazzo@wegetyouthere.com or 845-429-7983.
We’re also looking for a leader! So let us know if you’d like to facilitate our group or if you know someone who would be great at this. We’d like to gather for our first meeting in May. It’ll be a wonderful way to kick off the summer!
That’s right…you could be one of three lucky people who will win a wheelchair or scooter accessible van this summer!
May is National Mobility Awareness Month, and its purpose is to encourage people with disabilities to enjoy active, mobile lifestyles. To help spread the word, the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) is looking for three “Local Heroes” around the country who will receive free adapted vehicles!
The search is now on and entries are being accepted through May 13 only at www.MobilityAwarenessMonth.com. All you need to do is submit either a picture and written story (up to 400 words) or videotaped story (1-3 minutes long) of how you’ve overcome or are dealing with mobility issues. Remember to include code #777 (representing Bussani Mobility Team) in your entry. Caregivers, friends and family members are also welcome to submit entries for others. Then, encourage others to vote for you at the site from April 1-May 13 to help determine the winners.
In May, the winners of the National Mobility Awareness Month contest will receive their fantastic new vehicles on a national TV show such as “Good Morning America” or “Ellen.” Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. is donating a 2012 Sienna Minivan; SanTan Honda Superstore is donating a Honda Odyssey; Chrysler LLC is giving away a 2012 Town & Country Minivan; and van conversions companies like Braun Corporation, Vantage Mobility International, and Bruno Independent Living Aids are providing lowered floor conversion and specialized equipment.
Don’t miss out! You or someone you know really could win!
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