Illinois firm retrofits cars, trucks for handicapped accessibility

[antiquity]

On the road again
Illinois firm retrofits cars, trucks for handicapped accessibility

------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Frank Abderholden
STAFF WRITER
Â*
Â*You have been confined to a wheelchair because of a recent car accident, but you could drive a truck for a living if only the semi-tractor trailer was handicapped accessible.

Â*Â*Fat chance?

Â*Â*A Gurnee firm has done just that for an individual through a state program that helps people get back in the economic race even though they have mental or physical handicaps caused by genetics or a terrible accident.

Â*Â*"This is almost a kind of civil rights program," said Greg Battle, rehabilitation services supervisor in Waukegan who works for the Office of Rehabilitation Services, part of the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Â*Â*"We help people become fully integrated, help them become full members of the community because work creates resources and other opportunities for them," said Battle.

Investment return

Â*Â*"Money spent on rehabilitation is a great return on the investment. When you get people working, they are now taxpayers, so there is a financial return to the community that we provide," he said.

Â*Â*Steele Surgical Supply Co. of Gurnee was contracted by the state to build the second handicapped accessible semi-tractor, only the second in the state, said Ken Spangler, head of mobility sales.

Â*Â*"This is only the second time its been done," said Spangler on the approximate $35,000 rehab of a 1997 Volvo semi-tractor with sleeper. He hopes to be done in about 30 days.

Â*Â*"He likes it, he's excited. He wants to get out on the road," said Spangler. He can't discuss clients because of confidentiality requirements in the firm's contract.

Â*Â*The truck is having its transmission replaced with one that responds to hand controls installed by the company. The driver and passenger seat were removed so an eight-way power seat could be installed in the cab for the driver. The passenger seat was converted into one that is removable so the client has the option of having a companion on the long haul or some extra room.

Â*Â*A power lift takes the driver in his wheelchair up four feet until he is level with the cab floor and then he transfers to the power seat. He folds the wheelchair, pulls it in front of him (the power seat is mounted farther back than a regular driver seat) and into the cab for storage. Then he powers the seat forward to the driving position.
Remote control

Â*Â*A remote control system activates the lift to fold up and go into its "stow position" and the cab doors shut automatically.

Â*Â*"We had an Illinois state trooper inspect it and he was elated. He checked it over and he said we were in good shape," said Spangler.

Â*Â*Steele Surgical Supply does a regular business in ramps, lifts and modifications for vehicles, homes and other buildings. The firm started as a "mom and pop" shop on Hickory Street in Waukegan by Rita and Ernie Steele, and now half of their dozen children are in the business.

Â*Â*They work with the Department of Veterans Affairs, medical offices and hospitals, park districts and churches (wheelchair vans) and private citizens who need to make their living space more accessible. Spangler said the need for their services is growing.

Â*Â*"Within the next 10 years, 40 percent of the workforce hits retirement age. That's massive," he said. "That's like a tsunami coming," he said, referring to the giant oceanic waves caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanoes.

Â*Â*"There's going to be a lot of changes," he said.

Â*Â*"That generation marched on Washington D.C. for everything. They will want to keep their independence, go when they want to go and do what they want to do," Spangler added.

Â*Â*The state has 51 field offices for rehabilitation services, said Battle. There are 168,000 residents who receive Social Security disability insurance and an additional 154,000 who receive Supplemental Security Income statewide.

Â*Â*He said some 230,000 people across the state are affected by the agency. His field office on Grand Avenue alone services about 1,400 people at any one time. The state helped 8,377 individuals with disabilities become employed in 2002.

Taking risks

Â*Â*"The thing that's important to realize is they really want to work and they are willing to take some risks because they enjoy being part of the workforce," said Battle.

Â*Â*Those risks include losing some of the medical benefits provided by the state and federal government, which is why many go into part-time work to preserve those benefits.

Â*Â*People are placed in both skilled and unskilled positions.

Â*Â*"When you talk about people with disabilities, you are talking about a wide range of people," Battle said.

Â*Â*He remembers one man who was a paraplegic from a spinal cord injury who wanted to be a psychologist. The agency helped him with accessibility at school and worked with him through his college and graduate school career.

Â*Â*"We helped him through the whole process," said Battle.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/b...05retrofit.htm