| Caravan for the Disabled |
 This note
is intended to convey an introduction to ourselves and to give a little
information about how we enjoy caravaning and the freedom it has given
us. Disabilities take many forms and what suits us may not suit others
but from this note a reader should be able to decide whether caravanning
is suitable for them or not. Following a horse riding accident in 1981
my wife Wendy is now paraplegic (T5). She has full use of her upper body
and arms and permanently uses a wheelchair. She is able to transfer
unaided to seating and beds of the right height and can drive our adapted car if need be but
does not tow the caravan. We were fed up with the restrictions encountered
with other forms of holiday and the continual struggle to find suitable
accommodation when ever we wanted to go away. We took delivery of
our first Caravan (a modified 4 berth Abbey Somerset) in Easter 1989 which
we towed with a Citroen BX 19 Diesel Estate. This met our needs for 3 years
and proved its worth. We also learnt more about what we required
from a caravan and, in 1992, we traded it in for a modified
Elddis
Typhoon GTX, which we were very happy with. Initially we towed
this with a Volvo 740 Petrol Estate but for improved performance and economy
we changed to a Volvo 850 Diesel Estate in 1996.We averaged 3,000 towed
miles per year and used the caravan all year round. We found
new friends through rallying on average 10 times per year and in addition
to holidays in this country, where we have used farm sites as well as commercial
sites, we have travelled extensively on the continent.
If there are roads and ferries, we now consider there is nowhere we cannot
go. With a modified caravan, Wendy could, unaided, wash, shower and
use the toilet with the same ease as at home. Therefore we did not have
to seek out sites suitable for the disabled although for long stays we liked
these facilities to be available.
Apart from Wendy’s disability we both enjoy good health. I tell you this because to caravan successfully I consider it essential that one partner is able bodied. Once the basics of towing have been mastered, unhitching, site setting up with the exception of an awning, and packing up and hitching up can be done by one person. With Wendy’s help the awning can be erected and hitching up is also easier. Unless you are fortunate enough to be able to buy one of the few second hand adapted caravans that become available from time to time, your only option is to purchase a new model. Apart from finance, the major considerations are : 1. Modifications can probably
only be successfully achieved on a new van. You will need to find
a supplier and a dealer willing to make the 2. Unless you can find someone to custom build a model, seek a layout that most closely meets your needs and proceed as in 1. above. Our experience is a 4 berth, end toilet, ‘railway carriage’ layout is most suited to modification for wheelchair users. Either way the purchase is usually VAT free. 3. I accept that I will have to do more for Wendy in the caravan than at home, e.g. help with cooking, in turn Wendy has to accept more frustrations. Our view is the rewards are worth it. Apart from carrying a wheelchair in the caravan the only other necessary aid we need is a set of telescopic lightweight ramps which are used to gain access to the caravan. In many years of searching we have not found anything better than these for lightness and portability. However it does mean that Wendy cannot leave or enter the caravan unaided. In January 2001 we exchanged our caravan for a motorhome. |
modifications
you require. Not all suppliers will interrupt their production lines to
make structural modifications, e.g. a wide entrance or relocate appliances.
(Note : It has become more difficult over the years to find suitable suppliers
because many of the smaller manufactures have now been taken over by the
two major groups Explorer and Swift.) However, there is now in 2006 an exception. Fry's Caravans in conjunction with Avondale have produced a model suitable for the
disabled. The layout and features look superb. For more information about Fry's "Axcess" caravan, click