Rear Accessible vs. Side Accessible Vans and Lift Equipped Vans

There are relatively few types of Certified modifications that provide wheelchair access to a vehicle.

Here are the three main types of van modifications:

1. Rear entry low-floor minivan - The ‘Viewpoint Van’ modification
2. Side entry low-floor minivan
3. Lift equipped rear wheel drive minivans and full sized vans. (e.g. Lifts that can be installed by local ‘Medical Equipment’ dealers)

Each of these options has its benefits, however, the rear-access design is a popular choice for many reasons. It is an ideal option for the entire family and offers  the ability to travel spontaneously together. The rear-access van modification, also referred to as the "Viewpoint Van", allows for ease of entry & seating next to ambulatory passengers, also known as ‘family’ seating. The wheelchair user can remain in their mobile unit. It also allows the wheelchair passenger to have a much clearer point of view. Just like a regular van, the Viewpoint Van allows hassle-free parking -- just about anywhere. Whether it’s a parking lot, garage or driveway, family & friends can enjoy the experience without the inconvenience.

Ride along with Viewpoint Van customers, Jonathan Cooper and his daughter Sydney, as they share their Viewpoint Van experience.

When considering which type of modification is best for you, keep these three questions in mind:

1. How tall is the wheelchair user while seated in their wheelchair?  (This helps to determine whether the interior height and/or wheelchair door height of the vehicle needs to be increased; typical door entry height without modification is 45", typical interior height is 48")
    
2. Is the wheelchair user willing and able to transfer to a regular car seat?
    
3. Is it absolutely necessary that the wheelchair user be in their wheelchair in either the driver or front passenger position?  If the answer to this question is 'yes', a Viewpoint Van is not the right option for you.

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each conversion:
 

Rear Entry Low-Floor Minivan – The Viewpoint Van modification
 

• Accessibility: Rear wheelchair entry via an easy-to-use counter-balanced low-slope ramp.
• Structural Integrity: The floor is lowered between the main beams of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (eg Ford or Chrysler). This makes for greater structural integrity and better ground clearance than other lowered floor models.
• Safety: The fuel tank is relocated slightly forward underneath the front seats, away from the collision zone.

Advantages:

• Easy to enter/exit because no turning or other maneuvering of the wheelchair is required.
• Ambulatory seating is in the middle of the van rather than in the rear.
• Better ground clearance (by 2-3 inches) than side entry minivans (the main beams are not cut)
• Proven optimal resale value.
• While the vehicle is ideal for one wheelchair (even a very large and long one) it can accommodate two occupied wheelchairs.
• Maximum of 7 passenger capacity, including a wheelchair user.  This will vary with individual situations.
• Easy parking – ‘Any spot in any lot or garage’; even in tight parking spaces.
• Wheelchair users who can transfer (with or without assistance) can access either one of the front seats (a transfer seat base may be required).
• Lower cost than the Side entry low-floor minivans.
• Safer than side entry minivans – the fuel tank is relocated centrally to the vehicle, rather than moved into the collision zone.

Disadvantages:

• For loading/unloading on city streets you need to park nearby a curb-cut.
• A wheelchair user in his/her wheelchair cannot be in the driver seat position (or in the front passenger seat position).  In a Viewpoint Van, a wheelchair user must transfer into one of the front seats.
   

Side Entry Low-Floor Minivan
 

• Side wheelchair entry is via a low-slope ramp.
• The full width of the floor is lowered from the fire wall to just ahead of the rear axle.  This means that the main OEM beams are cut, and replaced by a proprietary frame that supports the full weight of the vehicle.
   

Advantages:

• The wheelchair user can be in the wheelchair in either the driver or front passenger seat position, if the wheelchair is small enough that it can be turned or maneuvered into position.
• Up to 3 wheelchair users in their wheelchairs can be accommodated, if the chairs fit.
• Off-sidewalk wheelchair loading can be very convenient in the city – no need to look for curb-cuts or driveways.

Disadvantages:

• The ramp blocks entry to ambulatory rear bench passengers (a ‘gate’ feature that avoids deploying the ramp may be available to make this less of a problem).
• Rear-bench passengers in fact occupy the very rear of the van.  This can be disconcerting when there is only a driver and no wheelchair passenger in a vacant  front passenger position.
• Less reliable sliding door mechanisms, because the sliding door tracks have to be modified, and weight is added to the sliding doors.
• Ground clearance may be a problem since the clearance on a side-entry van is  2-3 inches less than the Viewpoint Van.
• More expensive than the Viewpoint Van.
• Not as safe as the Viewpoint Van - the fuel tank is relocated and situated between the rear axle and the rear bumper, in what is known as the ‘collision zone’.
   

Lift Equipped Rear Wheel Drive Minivans and Full Sized Vans
 

• An electric or hydraulic lift is usually installed on the side, but can also be installed at the rear of the vehicle.
• Depending on the vehicle, the floor can be lowered.  (e.g. Ford full size van floor can be lowered by up to 8”)
• If the floor is lowered, the fuel tank has to be relocated and recertification is required.

Advantages:

• The presence of the lift means that there is NO SLOPE for the wheelchair user to negotiate.
• Side lift installations can have a sofa-bed in the rear.
• Modification cost is more economic if no raised roof or lowered floor is required (i.e. the wheelchair user is less than 45” tall in their wheelchair, or he/she can easily transfer.)
• Some people simply prefer rear-wheel drive.

Disadvantages:

• Poor reputation for reliability – Lifts are mechanical devices that can leave you stranded at inopportune times.
• Appearance - Looks like a ‘Wheelchair Van’
• While the modification can be less expensive, the base vehicle to be modified is more expensive to buy and to operate.
• Not as smooth to drive nor as easy to park as a low floor minivan.
• In theory, it's possible to move a lift from a worn out vehicle to a new one. In practice, by the time the van is worn out, so is the lift.