Mobility in India - Maruti Versa with Wheelchair Access

[iamdrin]

Hi Burgerman...

I will be the greatest fan of you. I read all about you, your thoughts, your awesomely designed power wheelchair, your way of interpreting you view sort of free flow...& straight. Wowwwww Im your fan.

Im deepa from India. Being diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atropy (SMA) I prone to be a heavy wheelchair user. I got my power wheelchair custom built in India (not even point percent of what you have designed) But few modifications I wanted apart from regular once.

I would really like to own the beauty & power wheelchair you have designed someday.

Attaching, the car I modified with ramps for commuting to work. Its a Indian car - Maruti VERSA

Maruti Versa with Wheelchair Access

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Maruti Versa with Wheelchair Access

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Me getting top the hill ;)

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[Burgerman]

Just out of interest how much would one of those cars cost? And do you drive from a wheelchair?

Burgerman

[Pete]

Hi iamdrin.
I too would like to know a bit more about your van.

Also

What make is your wheelchair? Is it totally custom-built or just a modified commercial chair.

I notice in the last photo you have some type of screen that seems to hinge from the back of the van. Is this just to give you some privacy when entering and exiting the van or does it have some other use?.

[iamdrin]

Hi Burgerman & Pete,

Coming to cost of my car, its 3.5 lac RS (INR). I dont drive... its the middle row of seat which I have removed from where i enter through my ramp. In India people are not very sensitive about different abled people, We dont have accessible public place... accessibility has been a biggest toll down in India. So I had hard time finding a guy to modify my car with ramp.

But then we are building our way through: Loads of NGO's, are voicing for different abled people rights for studies, work, health, etc

I saw in you post about Wagon R for with wheelchair accessible. it was amazing.. we have Wagon R cars available even in india, can we build the same accessibility in our models? Do you have any more information on that?

Pete,

The curtain like thingy is my house gate... (nothing related to my car). My power wheelchair is a regular once with few custom designed to my requirement.

My wheelchair.

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[Burgerman]

The Wagon R has a completely modified floor pan. Ie its lowered, channeled, and fabricated from scratch. There are lots of one off body and internal parts. It wouldnt be practical to manufacture just 1 in india. Your best bet would be to import one. Or some other vehicle from another country. I bought mine from the US and saved almost half the purchase price even after shipping. Have a look at some US accessible vehicle sites. They dont have anything as small as the Suziki but they are cheap, especially used! They dont have much interest in used vehicles there!

EG one of many!

http://www.cummingsmobility.com/cum/Dev ... 4wodX21qjw

[Pete]

The curtain like thingy is my house gate... (nothing related to my car). My power wheelchair is a regular once with few custom designed to my requirement.

In having a second look I can now see that it is a gate. When I first looked at it the edge seemed to line up perfectly with the back of your van, that's why I thought it was somehow attached.

I had a wheelchair very similar (almost identical) to yours years ago, I think it was manufactured in New Zealand. I just can't think of the brand-name at the moment.

[iamdrin]

My powerchair was built in India (Chennai). The manufactures are called Callidai Motor Works and is the largest Indian manufacturer of Powered and custom design Wheelchairs.
As developing country India we hardly have few different abled people who opt for powerchair chairs, Callidai is doing a great offering with there ranges of wheelchairs with user custom design needs to their price tag.

http://www.callidai.com/home

[Burgerman]

Its good to see that they are trying. There are other powerchair manufacturers in india though. Some advertise on my pages.

I realise that cost may be a big issue in design in india but they really should give me a job there! I see about 1000 things in every photo that I could improve without more cost!

Mind you, that applies to all the western companies too, hence my own powerchairs

[Pete]

My powerchair was built in India (Chennai). The manufactures are called Callidai Motor Works and is the largest Indian manufacturer of Powered and custom design Wheelchairs.
As developing country India we hardly have few different abled people who opt for powerchair chairs, Callidai is doing a great offering with there ranges of wheelchairs with user custom design needs to their price tag.

http://www.callidai.com/home

Callidai definitely have a large range of wheelchairs and other stuff to suit every possible situation. I was quite impressed with their "thinking outside the square" in design of chairs for different situations.

[Burgerman]

http://www.ostrichmobility.com

Another indian wheelchair manufacturer that advertises on my site. They have some interesting powerchairs for you to check out iamdrin!