Auto industry adapts to disabled veterans
Suzy sends us a link to a USAToday article about how the after-market auto industry is adapting to a younger population of disabled people, most of whom are veterans who suffered war wounds.
[After-market vehicle converters] are using innovation and design savvy to create vehicles for a new group of customers, veterans, mostly men in their 20s and 30s, determined to live life as much as they can without concession to their disability — including in their choice of vehicles.
“Independence is the key, being able to function as normally as possible,” says Dave Hubbard, CEO of the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association trade group.
Younger buyers “are looking for alternatives,” he says, driven in large part by a desire not to be seen as disabled. They want vehicles that look like those typically driven by others their age, without obvious signs of modification to handle disabilities.
According to the article, the VA picks up most of the cost of conversions up to $18,900. I’m up for anything that gets those folks out here among the rest of us – we need them.
Category: Veterans Issues
Semper Fi fund recognizes the benefit of adapted vehicles. It’s the independence the vehicle gives them. So the fund partners with RollX vans as well as a couple of dealerships in the SoCal area. Servicemember gets to choose the vehicle and then it’s adapted for his/her use.