Children in Wheelchairs and van question

U

Unregistered

Guest
My almost 2 year old is getting a wheelchair soon, with a full harness system. My mom has a wheelchair accesible vehicle, and feels that we could use her van and just leave him in his chair during transportation. While I know his seat passes all standards, I am not sure how safe this truly is.

My view is We have a car seat and the ability to transport all kids in proper seats in her van, albiet very tight and the oldest would have to sit in a lap only middle belt (the younger 2 car seats do not puzzle next to each other). however because the van in a wheelchair accessible van, my oldest does not pass the 5 step (heck I don't in the back seat, because the floor is lowered) but we can't fit a booster and there are no headrests so boostering him would put him WAY too high... plus no shoulder belt. BUT I don't know if its safe or legal to tranport the youngest in a wheelchair due to his age. He has excellent torso control, thats not the issue. We know at times moving him is painful for him as well, but I want him safe regardless.

My moms view is she has a accesible van, and by transporting the youngest in the chair, my oldest could ride outboard in a shoulder belt seat. He would still not be able to be boostered due to no headrest (and no high back boosters tall enough that we've found). She has been trained in properly securing a wheelchair in a vehicle, and has extensive experience with this. But the question of safety and legality still remains.

We are in California.

I just don't know, I really didn't want to face this and have avoided facing it. But now that it looks like he's getting a chair, I have to at least face it and find out if its even an option and if so what would be best for him.
 
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vonfirmath

New member
Are the wheelchairs designed to be used in the car like that? if so, I'd do that.

It is NOT safe for anyone to sit in a lap-belt only seat; those seats are only safe to install car seats in.

If not, tell us what seats you have, etc and maybe the knowledgeable folk here can help you figure out which car seat you can buy that will make that puzzle work.
 

flipper68

Senior Community Member
The short answer is that yes, a person can be transported in a wheelchair. HOWEVER, it is definitely not the first choice. It is much safer to travel in the vehicle seat using the appropriate child restraint, booster and/or seatbelt.

A two year old with special needs is extremely young/small to be using w/c transport full time. Usually this is discussed when the child is too larger for a non special needs seat and/or it is dangerous to transfer the child in/out of the vehicle (the decision is whether to get a special needs car seat to accomodate a larger child or a lift equipped van).

Several questions:

- Is this a mini van or a full size van? From your description, it sounds as if it is a mini van with a bench seat in the back. This puts anyone riding on the bench seat in very close proximity to the w/c and accentuates the need for appropriate restraint systems.
- What type of lift does it have (side or rear / gate, kneeling or slide out)?
- Is the w/c on order approved for use as a transport? The frame of the chair must pass federal standards and come equipped with tie downs, and it should have a head rest and seat belt (many w/c have "transport approved" as an option and additional expense).
- What type of w/c is ordered? http://www.especialneeds.com/strollers-wheelchairs-ramps-bus-transit-strollers.html

Kids this age/size often have a stroller type w/c which can be disassembled and fit into the trunk.

http://www.especialneeds.com/pediatrics-strollers-special-needs-strollers.htm


- How tall/heavy is your child with SN? Can he bear weight or otherwise assist in getting in/out of carseat, wheelchair, or vehicle?
- Is there a vehicle other than the w/c van? If so, how are the passengers positioned in that vehicle?


My first choice would be to figure out what seats WILL fit so the lap belt can be used for a CR, freeing up a lap/shoulder belt for the older child in a high back booster. However, if this is van is configured like any of the 4 lift equipped mini vans I'm familar with, it's barely possible to fit a 3rd ANYTHING on the rear bench and it will be impossible to fit 2 harnessed seats and a booster.
 
Last edited:
U

Unregistered

Guest
- Is this a mini van or a full size van? From your description, it sounds as if it is a mini van with a bench seat in the back. This puts anyone riding on the bench seat in very close proximity to the w/c and accentuates the need for appropriate restraint systems.

It is an extended minivan that was purchased as a wheelchair accesible vehicle from a Abilities Center.
- What type of lift does it have (side or rear / gate, kneeling or slide out)? It is a kneeling side ramp. a wheelchair is loaded on the fold out ramp that is on a hydraulics system.
- Is the w/c on order approved for use as a transport? The frame of the chair must pass federal standards and come equipped with tie downs, and it should have a head rest and seat belt (many w/c have "transport approved" as an option and additional expense).
The wheelchair is Transport Approved and complies with all WC19 requirements
- What type of w/c is ordered? Kids this age/size often have a stroller type w/c which can be disassembled and fit into the trunk.
http://www.convaid.com/adjustable-tilt-space-wheelchairs-cuddlebug-wheelchair-c-1_14_15-l-en.html This is basically the chair that is being requested through insurance.
- How tall/heavy is your child with SN? Can he bear weight or otherwise assist in getting in/out of carseat, wheelchair, or vehicle? He can bear weight, the problem is there are times it causes him alot of pain, and times it completely wears him out and causes breathing difficulty. He is 89 cm and 13 kg at this time.
- Is there a vehicle other than the w/c van? If so, how are the passengers positioned in that vehicle? Our other vehicle is a regular minivan. The oldest passes the 5 step and fits better without a booster. The middle child rides in a FF harness, and will remain so for a long time. The youngest rides RF in a harness seat in this vehicle.
 

flipper68

Senior Community Member
Thanks for the additional info.

For now, I'd strongly recommend using your van, keeping the 2 yr old RFing in a harnessed seat. The seat on order appears to fold quite small and hopefully it fits in the rear of the van, although at 35 lbs, it will be a bit of a chore to haul in/out.

Why?

1) Using w/c van to transport chair, while still using a CR for child with SN leaves your oldest in lap belt only and no head restraint. Both are HUGE negatives and leave child at very high risk for injury even if properly restrained.

2) Transporting child in W/C is dramatically less safe than a properly installed CR (especially a rear facing seat) and still leaves oldest child w/out head restraint and feet that don't touch the floor (inviting slouching and increasing likelihood of internal injury or submarining in a crash).

2nd Choice -
Purchase different seats that would fit side by side. (Posting the type of vehicle and size of kids on one of the other forum pages will address the "which seats" question). Sunshine Kids Radian comes to mind as narrow profile seats (with high weight/height limits) for #2 and #3 child. Clek Ober is very tall (but pricey) booster for oldest child.

Ensure w/c does not interfer with CRs and is positioned as far away from back bench as possible.

AND
Contact "Abilities Center" to ask about further modifications to van to provide better safety/positioning for all passengers. Could they attach a block on the floor to be a footrest for oldest? Could they replace the bench seat with one with a taller back or head rests (I'm assuming oldest doesn't pass booster test because feet don't touch floor.)?

As far as legal, I believe all options are "legal" but not all are particularly safe.
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
Just want to mention this for people who might come across this thread someday....The harness in the wheel chair itself is not adequate for crash protection. A adult seat belt must be buckled around the child as well.


Back to the original topic. What part of CA are you in. I'm in the Bay Area if you would like some help.
 

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