Parking Solutions When Traveling With a Wheelchair

When you take someone in a wheelchair along for a trip in your own car, parking in places that are convenient can be a bit of a hassle. You probably don't have a handicap parking placard yourself, and if your friend or relative who uses a wheelchair doesn't drive, they won't have a placard, either. Without a valid handicapped parking decal to display in your window, leaving your car in the slots that are designated for handicapped parking will gain you scorn – and quite possibly a pricey ticket to pay.

Many co-travelers pack a lightweight portable wheelchair ramp in case they have to park their car at the far end of a lot. When you end up parking way out in Timbuktu, the ramp makes it easy for the person in a wheelchair to roll up onto a sidewalk or path, away from other traffic that may be cruising through the lot. The ramp is also useful if you end up parking on the street quite some distance away from a curb that is designed for mobility access.

Other travelers on a road trip use an available handicapped parking space for temporary parking, staying in the slot only long enough to unload the wheelchair so that their traveling buddy can get situated. The handicapped spaces have the advantage of being wider than other slots, so it is easier to maneuver during the few minutes it takes to get securely seated in the wheel chair. As soon as everyone is settled, the driver leaves and finds a regular parking spot elsewhere as the person takes advantage of the curb ramps that are typically located near handicapped parking spots.

Do not abuse the places that are designated for those who have legitimate parking placards. In many areas the penalty for unauthorized parking carries a stiff fine with it.

Wheelchair Accessibility for Family Gatherings

Thanksgiving dinner. A beloved granddaughter's birthday party. The family celebration when one of its members graduates. These events are often held in homes that are not easily accessible for someone in a wheelchair. The biggest barrier is often getting up the steps to the porch, followed by getting over the raised threshold of the door. These obstacles don't have to block a relative's access to family gatherings where fun and sentiment and great food are a welcome break from everyday life.

If you are taking a relative to a family get-together and a wheel chair is part of the scenario, you can make the process easier by carrying along a folding wheelchair ramp that will tuck into the back seat of your car. Ramps of various sizes can be rented, or you may want to invest in an economically priced aluminum wheelchair ramp that can be shared by various family members involved in transporting the relative whose life will be made easier by its use.

Portable threshold ramps will make the final moment of arrival at the family event simple and dignified as your guest is able to roll up and down the slight incline on either side of a raised doorway without missing a beat. Made of rubber with a non-slip bottom surface and grooves for traction on the top, portable threshold ramps are approximately 2-inches high at their peak, about 3 to 4 feet wide, and very lightweight so they will easily fit in the trunk leaving plenty of room for a folding travel wheelchair and the goodies you're bringing along to share with the family.