Hey all! So I have been slacking a little posting but I am also working overtime. I am also starting to get obsessed. Maybe passionate would be a better word. Either way, I am constantly looking and thinking about how to make vehicles handicap accessible. It is almost like an addiction or something. As I said before in one of my posts, it is what keeps me sane. It is weird because it almost drives me crazy at the same time. I badly want to try and see if my ideas will actually work. I don’t really have the resources or people right now to help me try it. I keep hoping that a sponsorship or two will emerge and help me make these dreams a reality!
I do have this inner peace and unexplainable belief that what I am doing here will lead me to being able to follow through with my dreams. Something inside is just telling me that this is going to work out and I am doing the right thing to get there. I feel like I am right on the edge of breaking through. There is nothing to report as far as leads or anything so I don’t know what it is telling me this. It just feels like something bigger is about to happen for some reason. Maybe I am just too much of an optimist, or maybe I am just wrong. Time will tell!
The project that is stuck in my head right now is building a handicap big truck (semi, 18 wheeler, whatever term you use). I feel like you could make a door in the back of the sleeper and roll straight forward into the driver seat of it. If the height of it was an issue you could lower the floor in the driver seat area as there is typically room underneath the cab in that area. The thing I haven’t figured out is the transmission of the vehicle. Most of the older trucks that would be closer to the price range that I could afford have a manual transmission. The newer ones do have an automatic but I don’t know that you can put one in an older truck because of the computers and stuff. I have wondered if you could take an old bus or something that had a smaller diesel motor and automatic and put it in a truck, but again that is a lot of work as well. I think it could all get worked out but like I said a little bit ago, money is the problem.
I wonder if there would be a customer base for things like this. Not necessarily a truck, but custom handicap rides. It is definitely going to be a niche market. When you read on the ADA’s website (Americans with Disabilities Act, or the standards for what is federally required for handicap people at stores and restaurants), it says something like 18% of the United States is handicap (or around 50 million American). It is projected to be around 71.5 million baby boomers will be over 65 by the year 2030 which will probably increase this market. I guess the reason I bring this up is because the numbers support that this is not a small niche group in general. However I know other people have tried similar ventures and failed because you can’t get government support for stuff like this. The only way something like this would work is if you get the right finance company that will give loans that are a smaller monthly payment and probably longer so that the low fixed income people can afford them. I have been told when I have talked to other individuals that sell stuff that finding a finance company that can do this is not a big deal so maybe it is another one of the “just need to find the right partner” kind of deal.
Thanks for reading!
God definitely has a plan for you!! You already inspire so many with your positive attitude and strong work ethic, not to mention your giving spirit that helps everyone else.