Wheelchair-accessible vans can be expensive for families to purchase.
Wheelchair-accessible vans can be expensive for an individual with a disability. However, various private organizations and the federal government offer grants to help cover the costs. The funding can either help to defray the costs of purchasing a vehicle or can be used to help adapt the van to make it accessible.
Quality of Life Grants
The Christopher Reeve Foundation offers Quality of Life Grants that are designed to improve the day- to-day activities of those who are confined to a wheelchair. The funding is awarded to non-profit organizations that can help to get individuals with paralysis the necessary equipment to modify their homes, get mobility and to purchase assistive technology equipment, such as wheelchair-accessible vans. Those organizations that do apply can receive up to $25,000 in grant funding, which is given out two times a year. The foundation website should be consulted for exact deadlines each year and has a grant application guide to help with the process.
The Weber Foundation
The Weber Foundation provides funding to families and individuals that are in financial straits because of major life events such as fires and chronic illness. The funding can help to pay medical bills, purchase wheelchair-accessible vehicles or to meet other financial obligations. The amount granted depends on each particular case and the amount requested in the application. When applying, the applicant will have to provide documentation of financial need and the situation. The details are available on the foundation's website.
Midwest Special Needs Trust
The Midwest Special Needs Trust offers general charitable grants that can be used to pay for various services, medical service and transportation. Eligible recipients must be diagnosed with a physical or mental disability that adversely affects daily living activities. The individual will have to provide medical documentation of the disability and will have to meet certain income standards. The maximum amount of money that can be given is $1,000.
Veteran's Administration
The Veteran's Administration offers funding to veterans and active-duty soldiers who have lost or have limited use of hands or feet and who have a vision impairment. The applicant can get funding up to $11,000 to pay for a vehicle. The money is paid directly to the seller. Funding is also available to adapt a vehicle to make it accessible, and to pay for adaptive equipment such as lifts and powered windows, doors and seats. This grant can be received more than once, and the amount depends on the individual situation.
