Conversions for disabled people

[Darryl_5040172]

Has anybody had a touring caravan adapted to help or suit a disabled person? I have seen the small item in this months CC mag and wondered what / how a person goes about having a conversion done.

 

[TonyAsh]

Darryl, We have a similar problem as our son, aged 31, is wheelchair bound and cannot walk at all. We are keen caravanners and take him away with us.

I have made up a set of strong steps which allows us to take him into the caravan, I have fitted a Fiamma door locking rail to the side of the door - this is not for security but to act as a hand grip to ease moving him in and out. We can, with difficulty, get him into the toilet but tend to use sites which have good disabled facilities (Caravan Club). As we go away with the family mainly in summer we tend to live in the awning but I expect that the cost of modifying a caravan is quite high and space will be lost elsewhere inside the van.

 

[VicWildish_5039744]

I am not sure that you can actually adapt the structure of an existing 'van, can you?

When you think about it, a wider door would mean a new side panel, moving cupboards and bed units and it just wouldn't be viable. I think all this can be done though when ordering a new van and any special requirements can be included as the unit is constructed. I think you would find that this would attract a significantly higher purchase price and not all of the popular makes would be prepared to do it.

I hate to be a killjoy and I would love to be proved wrong but I think that ultimately the bottom line decides whether such a thing can be done.

Vic