Wheelchair lifts make life simpler for someone confined to a wheelchair. Without a lift, the person that is confined to a wheelchair would not have access to many different places. There are several selections of different types of lifts and where these lifts can be installed depending upon the need of the disabled person.
National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association, better known as NMEDA, was formed locally in Florida to help bring about awareness for the quality and safety of mobility equipment for the disabled. We became a national association in 1989. They strive for everyone working together and promoting the quality and safety of the equipment used by the physically handicapped. Our members must follow all of the safety guidelines that are mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
When choosing a handicapped vehicle, the lift is a vital part of your choice. Finding a NMEDA dealer where the trained sales representative can help you choose which lift will best suit your needs is the best place to start. The type of vehicle you have chosen and whether you will be a passenger or the driver will play an important role in your decision. If you have chosen the standard van, you can have a lift installed on the back, at the passenger side door or at the driver door. If you are going to be the driver of this vehicle, of course, you will want a lift installed by the driver door. You might also want one installed in another location in case someone else will be driving on occasion.
There are different wheelchair lifts for you to choose. The most inexpensive is the ramp. It is used sometimes on smaller vehicles. The other is the platform lift. The platform lifts come with single and dual arms. These platform lifts are powered and operated with controls by the wheelchair user to raise the lift up and down. The dual arm platform lifts are large in size and can handle a weight limit of up to around 800 pounds. The single arm lift is smaller and takes up less room, but with only one arm cannot handle the weight limit that the two arm lift can. As one of the guidelines mandated by the National Highway Safety Administration, the lifts must have a lock on them when lifting a person in a wheelchair. This keeps the wheelchair from rolling off the lift platform. Most of them have an alarm that sounds if the procedure is not being done properly.
Lifts can also be used for the purpose of getting someone up on the porch of a building, or to lift the wheelchair over another form of barrier. With the strict guidelines that are set forth by NMEDA and your NMEDA dealer’s personal service to ensure your lift will meet your needs, you can safely and confidently enjoy the use of your wheelchair lifts.