Variable-height-powered wheelchair for the quadriplegic driver.

Originally the charge, under the SRS, was for us simply to improve on the mobility system for severely handicapped people . We interpreted this to include short-range travel, long-range travel, inside and outside; as well as horizontally and vertically . In short, any transport system which would help in daily activities, job execution, or recreation was to be considered . A few hundred man-hours were spent on preliminary design of an easily accessible special "automobile" which would accept a severely handicapped person sitting in a standard powered (say E&J) wheelchair at driving position . Jerome Sills, a post-polio partial quadriplegic, was at that time (1967) driving a dropped-floor 1954 Ford Sunliner from a wheelchair . When it became obvious that a special wheelchair-compatible automobile would cost several times more than a standard automobile, this approach was discontinued . Assume that a standard auto costs $4,000, that the special auto, or greatly modified one, costs at least $10,000, and that the special auto is of little use to anyone other than the handicapped driver . This means that if we could somehow eliminate the need for the special auto or its modification — we would have $6,000 to use for an alternate system . The obvious alternate system is a variable-height wheelchair which will fit in a standard automobile or van . A unit bid on these wheelchairs of $4,100, on the basis of three units, has just been received . This leaves $1,900 for some sort of lift or other entry system . A standard van-type tailgate lift costs under $500.