We just bought a “new-to-us” Toyota Sienna minivan last week! We’re really happy with the purchase and are so excited about how it’ll enable us to travel more!

We had been looking at, test driving, discussing, comparing, pricing, budgeting and stressing over vans and wheelchair accessible vehicles since last July, almost 10 months! When we got his wheelchair last November we felt pressured to get a wheelchair accessible vehicle ASAP. That pressure was self imposed, nobody was telling us or directing us to get a new vehicle.

We did, however, start feeling like our current travel situation wasn’t optimal. Whenever we made a day trip or weekend trip, the car was packed to the brim. We always had to choose between his large stroller or wheelchair, we couldn’t fit both. We have a travel refrigerator that we need for Félip’s food and medication and it would barely fit. Nothing was easily accessible, everything being tucked away and piled on top of. You can just imagine trying to fit extra passengers in the car on a day trip!

With Félip now being in a front facing car seat he was at a much steeper, less reclined angle. His head would often lean completely forward with his neck extended, even when he was awake due to his lack of support. He would just seem uncomfortable. We’d get worried on long car rides and would sometimes sit in the back with him to help him out.

It also kept getting harder and harder to get him in and out of the car. The opening of the rear doors, although pretty standard, didn’t leave much room for us to maneuver him into his seat. The situation was even more complicated because he’s grown to substantial weight and length (~35lbs and almost 1 meter tall!) and still has absolutely no core or neck support.

We definitely did not feel comfortable making long trips anywhere. And we really wanted to be able to travel more. We haven’t been back to New-Brunswick in over 2 years now. The only feasible way to go seemed to be by driving.

Wheelchair accessible vans

We were looking at all makes, models and variations of wheelchair accessible vans. The used market for these types of vehicles is lacking and good finds are rare. Most are retired taxi vans or older vans with a lot of mileage. Looking at new vans, the cost ranges from $45,000 (for bare minimum equipment) to around $80,000. Not being eligible for most if not all the common charities that help with vehicle upgrades and purchases, we felt very overwhelmed.

The more we looked at the converted minivans the more we felt like we would want something bigger, like a custom modified commercial passenger vehicle. Unfortunately, once a minivan is converted, a lot of space is lost in the interior. For us it felt like we would still have a small car, but now we could roll his wheelchair into it.

We were finally able to test drive a used converted minivan with side ramp in March. We made a trip to Edmonton to look at this van and brought Félip’s wheelchair with us. We strapped him in and took off to drive around the city. We quickly realized that parking these vans is a big challenge. We also were very disappointed to have to constantly readjust Félip’s wheelchair to try and get him comfortable and breathing right. He had a little more secretions that day and was really struggling.

What if

When we got back from our test drive in Edmonton we felt very confused, overwhelmed and nervous about the whole idea of switching over to a wheelchair accessible vehicle. We kept thinking that maybe we should just wait, and hold off for another while. That seemed like the easiest thing to do, nothing. But, every time we’d go out and take Félip in the car, we were reminded of the issues with our current setup. Doing nothing, wasn’t sustainable. Doing nothing, wasn’t going to make the problems go away.

At this point we started thinking outside the box. We thought, what if we just upgraded our current vehicle to something bigger that’s not wheelchair accessible. The thought had crossed our minds before but we always brushed it off and focused on getting something for his wheelchair. Now we were wondering, would it be enough? Could we get another vehicle that would resolve most of our current concerns with Félip in our car? We broke down the issues we listed above and started looking at different vans and SUVs, keeping in mind that cost would still be a big factor in the feasibility of this solution.

Survey says

We have access to a few support groups on Facebook for parents with special needs children. We decided to ask and see what other parents are doing. We were really surprised to see that most parents don’t get wheelchair accessible vehicles until much later on. Actually some parents still don’t have accessible vehicles even with their child being over 12 years old! Unfortunately, in most cases, the situation isn’t voluntary. Most parents, like us, have a hard time figuring how to comfortably afford an accessible vehicle. Also, for larger families, a converted minivan might not be practical. Once converted, there’s usually only a few seats left in the van for other passengers. The appeal of a minivan is often the 7-8 seats and the roomy interior. Furthermore, special car seats are available that can accommodate children up to 130lbs! These car seats also usually have really good supports for children like Félip with low muscle tone.

This was enough for us to seriously consider upgrading to a bigger vehicle. We researched thoroughly and narrowed down our selection to two models of minivans. We wanted a 1-2 year old used van to take advantage of more affordable price tags. We found a few really great ones in the city and booked a test drive.

Our new van

When we test drove our Toyota Sienna, we knew it was the one. We knew what to expect before going to the dealership. We’d done extensive research, compared different brands and models, looked at reliability and features, and even watched some videos. What we didn’t expect is how well Félip would do in the van. We strapped his car seat in one of the second row seats and were able to actually recline the seat to get him to an awesome angle. He was breathing so well and genuinely seemed comfortable. Getting him in and out was so much easier with the sliding doors and the second row bucket seats. The second row seats are also adjustable in position, they slide all the way forward and all the way back.

The van has stowable third row seats which go right in the floor of the van. So, when they’re stowed, we get a large cargo area for Félip’s wheelchair, stroller, cooler and whatever else we usually need to pack. Our model is also technically an 8 passenger van and we have an optional smaller seat that we can install in between the two bucket seats in the second row.

The van has rear tinted windows, power rear windows, power sliding doors (super convenient for us), cruise control (great for our long trips), lots of storage, power driver’s seat (for Robyn’s short legs!) and all the regular features in most of today’s vehicles like bluetooth and digital radio.

We were quite surprised with all the smaller convenience features the van has like the rear privacy/sun shades that are built into the paneling so they don’t interfere with the windows. There’s also a “conversation” mirror which is just a small mirror in the ceiling console that is shaped so you can see the whole interior of the van at once (useful to quickly check on Félip).

All in all, we’re really happy with our purchase. Everytime we take the van for a drive with Félip we take note of how much better things are. We were getting quite stressed traveling with him in our small car and now we feel relaxed and can actually enjoy the ride. Félip seems happy about it too, we traveled the whole day last week for a trip to the mountains and he was either sleeping or talking and smiling the whole way!

We’re so excited about all the possibilities and all the places we can travel to! We’ve already started planning our trip back to New-Brunswick!

As always… Love. Laugh. Repeat.