I live in apartments with terrible parking. They overbuilt without considering that maybe one parking space per unit isn’t enough. They charge $25 a month for unassigned parking and $50 for an assigned covered space. I work evenings and get home at 1am. There is never unassigned parking available at that hour so I pay extra for an assigned space.
A family with a son in a wheelchair recently moved in and they have 2 wheelchair accessible vans. The complex provides them one handicap spot for free.
I met them when they parked in my assigned spot and asked them to move. The mom apologized and explained my spot was perfect for the family’s needs because it’s at the end of the row and the passenger door opens onto the sidewalk. It’s not officially a handicap space but they can make it work.
I went to the leasing office with her to see if I could get a different spot and transfer mine to her because I’m not trying to make life harder for a kid in a wheelchair or his family. Unfortunately, they have ZERO assigned spots currently available for rent.
They used to allow people to rent as many spots as they wanted as long as they were willing to pay. They’ve now instituted a policy that you can only rent as many parking spaces as your unit has bedrooms, but because the parking spots are currently written into people’s leases, they can’t tell revoke them until the leases end.
There is NOWHERE else to park. There’s a bank nearby but they’ll tow you if it’s there when the manager comes in. The next closet option is a Safeway parking lot almost a mile down the road.
I’m on a waiting list and should have a new spot by March. Until then, I’m not giving up my current spot. The mom cried and said she really needed my spot and doesn’t understand why I’m being so heartless.
There is unassigned handicap parking by the leasing office, but it’s on the other side of the complex. And it really shouldn’t inconvenience her son, because the family DOES still have their assigned handicap spot right in front of their door. Seems to me that whichever parent actually has the kid in tow should coordinate with the other one to leave their spot open so their son can get in and out easily and the other parent can park the other van by the leasing office and walk.
Since then, the mom has parked in my spot a few times and each time I left notes asking her to move or I’d have her towed. She’s always moved by morning. She’s so combative that I can’t really stand the thought of talking
... keep reading on reddit ➡
Hey everyone,
After a really bad experience with waiting a number of hours for a cab company to send a Wheelchair Accessible Van, I'm looking at alternate options to help a family member get around over the holidays. I have looked into most of the local rental companies and none seem to have any stock available for rent at such a busy time.
I am wondering if anyone has any tips to find one or more reliable transport options than hoping a cab shows up!
Hello!
Does anyone have experience with a wheelchair-accessible van rental company?
Any recommendations or ones to avoid?
Thanks!
Hey folks,
A coworker of mine had his mom's van and wheelchair stolen last night on the Southside. Keep your eyes peeled for someone selling a super fancy, motorized chair, and wheelchair accessible van (paddle driven) on kijiji and marketplace PLEASE!!!
Will update with pics when possible.
Hello everybody, my name is Benjamin, I'm a 26-year-old that has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The situation that I am in right now is that my current wheelchair-accessible van is basically on its last leg. The other issue with my current van is that the ride is very shaky and bumpy, which is becoming an issue for me because my upper body muscles have deteriorated, thus making it harder to control my upper body. The reason that my current van is so bumpy is because it is a rear entry, which means that I'm sitting in the very back of the van where the shaking is more intense. Due to the two issues previously stated, I am in need of another wheelchair-accessible van that has a side entrance. The primary reason that I depend on this type of van is so that I can get to and from my church every week, where I currently serve The Lord through being on the media team. The other reason is so that I can continue to be able to get around and have some independence. Replacing this van is very difficult since I'm on a fixed income
If any of you feel led to contribute, it would be much appreciated! Thank you in advance!
My friend’s grandmother is wheelchair-bound, on a feeding tube, and unable to sit upright in a car on her own. We need to get her from New Orleans to Dallas and are trying to track down a handicap accessible vehicle to borrow or rent, or find some sort of service that could do this. Any leads are appreciated!
Trusted a friend of a person to sell our house (they were a real estate agent) to flip it and sell it, they promised it wouldn’t go to foreclosure but it did. The guy flipping the house got himself in debt and since he didn’t keep up the payments on the house like he said he was going to, the house went to foreclosure. We made a huge mistake trusting them.
Anyway, 4 years later the foreclosure is on our credit so it’s making it difficult for my mom to replace her 15 year old van. The bank won’t give us a loan because of our credit. She is in desperate need of a wheelchair accessible van so no any van will do.
Recently we found a co-signer but she was scared away by the 19% rate. She thinks it’s highway robbery, and we agree, but we’re willing to do almost anything because the van we are using now is being held together literally by bungee cords and duct tape.
My mom makes plenty of money as a private music teacher and an inventor. Money is not an issue but we don’t have anybody that will co-sign (we’re aware that it’s a lot to ask of someone...) what the hell do we do?
Without this van, my mom is going to become very depressed. She loves her independence and as her daughter I don’t want her to lose that.
I have two friends that are stranded at 3rd and Columbia. The bus services were cancelled before the emergency was declared. One friend is in a power chair with a very low battery and has been stranded for hours. No taxis or rideshares will go there. Does anyone have a wheelchair accessible vehicle that could help us rescue them?
Update - we put out an emergency request call on some queer community groups, and luckily found someone with a wheelchair accessible van that picked us up at 2:00am. We were totally wiped out but luckily we all got home safe.
We called 911 and they suggested an Uber. We called Emergency medic support and they said that they would only take her to a hospital and they would not take her chair. All taxi services that advertise that they are wheelchair accessible told us that they would not come downtown or that they do not have wheelchair accessible vehicles "at this time". All other wheelchair accessible transportation was either closed due to COVID or not picking up the call (likely due to the hour).
This has been a reminder that when you need help, your community is the one that will provide for you. This has also been a wake up call that Seattle is not nearly accessible enough.
We were not the only ones stranded last night. Seattle shut down public transit before they declared a curfew. Those who were arrested and let go yesterday were let go after the busses were closed. All ferry services were closed. No hotels were allowing checkins. Seattle government committed silent violence yesterday by intentionally isolating and harming peaceful protesters. Not a single emergency services vehicle cruising around last night stopped or cared. Fuck the police. Fuck Seattle government.
