hey you

[dude]

Hi! My names jeff and my dawgs Dude.I been in a chair bout 15 yrs now.Lived in New England all my life.(35 mile north of Boston).Been working for the commonwealth of Massachusetts for a pant load of years now.Always looking for info on better technology,wheels/rides,ideas, issues and resolutions that make my day. .

[ex-Gooserider]

Welcome aboard... Where are you more exactly? I'm in Billerica, so probably not that far from you... I've been injured about 1 3/4 years, no dog, no job (am working w/ Mass rehab on that...)

ex-Gooserider

[dude]

Thanx ex-gooserider. BUD!!! where neighbors man!. Im in Dracut near the N.H. boarder.I found this site researching wheelchairs and autos to outfit. Lots of grrreat info here.

[ex-Gooserider]

Well sounds like we aren't far apart... I'm about half way between the 129 and Treble Cove Rd exits off of Rt 3... I'm currently working very slowly on trying to do a BM3 style chair starting from a 626 instead of an F55. Right now I'm not very mobile because the RMV suspended my license when I got hurt, but I recently got a Braun conversion van, and will be taking some driver training to get back on the road in January...

ex-Gooserider

[Burgerman]

Really?

We just call the Drivers Licence Centre and declare we have an injury and tick a few boxes. I actually was released (escaped) from the spinal injuries unit, for two days at home. I had hand controls fitted to my ford Ghia X Granada V6 and drove the 85 miles back to the spinal injuries unit on the monday. Manual wheelchair and all. Car had been sat 12 months and had a flat battery, just re-charged, re-insured and drove. Never occurred it could be any different.

[Martin O Refurbisher]

Welcome, Dude & Jeff. I hope you enjoy the site.

BM,
You were lucky!
I have sleep apnoea and have to be monitored as to my use of a CPAP machine (min 4 hours per night average) or they have said htey will pul my licence - revoked my HGV entitlement (I wasn't really using it, as everything big I drove was as "plant").
Best,

Martin

[dude]

hello martin,hello burgerman. Awwww Man.........gooserider,i know how ya feel.i jus got my wheels back a few month ago ,Hit a tree bak in april,was outta work and no ride for 3+ months,relying on my daughter and friends to get by.(man that suks) Repaired the dog,myself,the chair and the van.(in that order).Bak in charge of my life again.Im also working with mass rehab to help me outfit a new van and my insurance co. to get a new chair.I didnt get my license pulled but i did have to go for a driver evaluation.(i passed, tuvm) Well bud ,the next time yer out for a beer ,lemme know. cuz me and the dude would like to drop in and buy u a cold one.

[ex-Gooserider]

Sounds good, though I tend to prefer my own brews (I make mead starting with the honey from my hives...). I was doing this for several years before I got injured, and have tried to keep it up since, though I need a lot of help from friends to do the heavy lifting part of the job...

In my case the license thing was a bit complex... When I got hurt I applied for an HP parking permit, and the RMV said I needed to take a competency test... I didn't have a vehicle that I could drive, so I didn't take the test. It took them about a year, but eventually they suspended my license. In the meantime I had started working w/ Mass. Rehab, and was able to get a driving eval about three days before the suspension kicked in. I finally got the van worked out, and appealed the suspension to the RMV. They ruled that I still needed to do the competency test, and until I'm able to do that, all I have is a restricted learners permit that only allows me to drive with a "Certified Driving Instructor." The agency that Mass Rehab is working with only has one instructor, and he apparently is working in three states, and is booked until January of next year....

In the meantime, I have to ride in the back of the van, with the girl friend driving....

ex-Gooserider

[Burgerman]

Thats scary.

[ex-Gooserider]

True, but could be worse... At least our van is new and in good shape, which is a big improvement over some of the rattletrap paratransit vans I'm in - there are some that I wonder how they managed to get past the basic safety inspection, as I can spot significant violations from my chair...

I even had one where the driver didn't show up on time, and I eventually found out that the reason was that she had a wheel fall off on the highway Or there are the ones where the wheelchair tiedown straps were fastened to the floor hardware with hunks of rope, that looked an awful lot like clothesline...

Also while it is no fun being stuck in back, it is still better than having to transfer up the foot or so height difference into the seat of our old van, and being stuck in the manual chair...

ex-Gooserider

[mgwmgw]

Hi Jeff, I'm ex-gooserider's GF.
If you are looking for an adapted van,
we have had a reasonably good experience with these folks
http://www.ride-awaynh.com/index.php

They can deal with adapting used vans too.

I will be glad when ex-gooserider can drive.
Then I can ride in the van and be rude about HIS driving.


Mary-Anne
P.S. I'm about to get some vacation time,
so I can drop ex-gooserider
off somewhere if you and he want to meet there.
If you like steak, the Longhorn Steak House in Tewskbury
is pretty accessible and easy to find.

[dude]

Hello mgwmgw,Sounds like a plan man,steak is good.I have vaca the week of the 19th,perhaps one of those days.Speaking of Ride-Away,When i had my driving evaluation the instructor(don sampson,hes a cool guy) introduced me to the EMC equiptment,MAN!!i liked it.Wait till ya see my current set up,(big diffrence).He recomended i check out ride-away, so a few weeks ago i hooked up with eric and roger,(i call them the linguini bros.). two great guys.Looking foward to hooking up with you and gooserider.

[ex-Gooserider]

I'm also working w/ Don as my driving instructor... And w/ Eric up at Ride-away... Smallish world. not sure what you mean by EMC equipment, but wouldn't mind checking it out... My controls are pretty low tech, which is a mixed bag IMHO, but is what the Mass Rehab folks would pay for... Some ways I'd have made some different choices if I had it to do over again, but I can live with what I've got for now at least.

ex-Gooserider