IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Our mission at Ability Center is to provide our clients with professional solutions that enable you to lead more active and independent lifestyles.   We accomplish this through a knowledgeable, understanding and compassionate staff who partner with you to provide a quality, one-stop-shop experience.  As a leader in the mobility industry, we honor our responsibility to actively support and participate in the communities we serve.  We have solutions for your home, vehicle and personal use and offer free in home consultations.  

Home Mobility Solutions:
We carry only name brand products to help you be in your help more independently.  Our home solutions allow you to reclaim access to your entire home with products that exude elegance and style.  Our certified and factory trained installers set up the safest and most reliable lifts and ramps that properly fit your home.

*         Indoor stair lifts, both straight and curved

*         Outdoor stair lifts, both straight and curved

*         Vertical Platform Lifts

*         Pool Lifts

*         Environmental Control Units

*         Remote Control Door Openers

*         Portable Ramps

*         And much more...

Vehicle Mobility Solutions:
We know that driving means independence to so many people and we have many products and adaptations to keep you independently driving.  When you and your family are faced with a situation where driving is no longer an option, we also have many products to help you safely transport your loved ones.  We have simple solutions to simply help you get your mobility scooter from place to place and have very complex solutions where people can drive from their wheelchair with the use of electronic driving aids.  Here are some of our vehicle solutions:

*         Wheelchair Accessible Minivans, both used and new

*         Wheelchair Accessible SUV's, both used and new

*         Scooter and Wheelchair lifts, both interior and exterior

*         Hand controls and driving aids

*         Portable Ramps

*         Auto Access Seats

*         Accessible Vans for Rent

*         And much more....

Personal Mobility Solutions:
Independence starts with simply getting around; getting around your home, getting around your community and around town.  From simple transport wheelchairs to electric scooters and wheelchairs, we have a solution for you.  Let us help you find the best personal mobility device for you:

*         Transport Manual Wheelchairs

*         3-Wheel Mobility Scooters

*         4-Wheel Mobility Scooters

*         Electric Wheelchairs

Visit us online @  http://www.AbilityCenter.com or call (520) 293-3596

May Is National Mobility Awareness Month

May Is National Mobility Awareness Month

Posted on April 27, 2016

Join the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association in celebrating the 5th annual National Mobility Awareness Month. During this amazing promotion, we encourage people with disabilities to embody the spirit of Life Moving Forward by raising awareness of the many life-changing mobility vehicle solutions available today.

Ability Center and NMEDA are mobility advocates dedicated to changing the lives of those with living with disabilities by providing access to quality handicap accessible vehicles and adaptive equipment. Whether you are living with a disability or have dedicated your time to helping someone who is, we want to hear your stories of perseverance and strength.

Starting April 12, tell us what makes you, or your loved one, a Local Hero for your chance to win a wheelchair accessible van. They will be giving away three wheelchair accessible vehicles: one to a caregiver, one to a senior (60+), and one in the general category.  To enter, click here – http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/local-heroes/enter/.

Visit us online @ www.AbilityCenter.com 

Ability Center's Try Before You Buy Program - Wheelchair Accessible Vans

Ability Center’s Try Before You Buy Program – Wheelchair Accessible Van

Posted on March 18, 2016

Are you unsure about purchasing a wheelchair accessible van?

The best way to help find the answer is to rent one for a weekend. Ability Center will put the rental fees for a wheelchair accessible van toward the purchase of awheelchair accessible van*. It’s Simple:

• Rent a van from any Ability Center locations; we have both short term and long term availability**
• If you decide to purchase a van from us within 90 days of your rental, we will reimburse you up to $500 towards the purchase of your van. We have over 200 used and new accessible vans available to choose from!

The vans in our rental fleet are fully powered side-entry lowered floor minivansbetween 1-2 years old. We have over 30 vans in our rental fleet between our 13 locations:

California: San Diego, Long Beach, Orange County, Inland Empire, San Luis Obispo, Fresno and Sacramento
Arizona: Phoenix and Tucson
Nevada: Las Vegas
Oregon: Portland and Eugene

*Up to $500 **Based on availability

Contact us today for more information:  800-242-4111 / info@abilitycenter.com

Ability Center ~ What Wheelchair Van is Right for You?

Which Wheelchair Van is Right For You – Side Entry or Rear Entry?

Posted on August 11, 2015

At Ability Center, we specialize in helping our valued customers find the right accessible van for their needs, budget and lifestyle.  Many times families are curious as to what type of wheelchair van is best; a side-entry handicap van or a van with a ramp that comes out the rear of the vehicle.

When thinking of these two options, we have four things we will discuss to help you make the best decision; Parking, Position of the wheelchair, Passengers and Price(4 P’s).

Parking
One consideration when thinking about what type of wheelchair accessible van to purchase is parking.  Rear entry vehicles have an easier time in crowded parking spots because the entry and exit of the wheelchair passenger can take place in any parking spot; it doesn’t necessarily have to be a large handicap parking spot.  However, keep in mind that you will be loading and unloading the wheelchair passenger into the flow of traffic.  In areas of the country where much of the parking is done curbside/parallel, a rear entry van may not be the best option because you’ll need significant room behind the vehicle to load the wheelchair.   Side entry vans have the opposite benefits; it’s easier for parallel parking because the ramp can be deployed on curbs.  However, parking lot parking can be difficult at times with so many limited large handicap parking spaces that allow 8′ for the ramp to deploy.  

Position of the wheelchair
Ask yourself this question, where would I like the wheelchair to be positioned and where is the person using the wheelchair going to sit.  Some people with disabilities have the ability to transfer out of their wheelchair onto the front driver or passenger position.  If this is the case, a side-entry van is best suited for you since the whole floor of the vehicle is cut out making for an easy transfer.  Some people like to remain in their wheelchair and sit in their chairs in the front driver or passenger position after removing the front seat of the van.  If this is the case, a side-entry is best suited for you as the seats are on bases that are removable.  Rear entry vans have a portion of their floor lowered which makes for a nearly impossible option for the wheelchair passenger to sit in the front two seats.  If the person in the wheelchair has a caregiver and will not drive or sit in the front passenger position, a rear entry van is a great option.  Some rear entry vans have jump seats so the person in the wheelchair can be positioned in the middle of the van with brothers, sisters, grandchildren, etc. sitting next to them.

Passengers
The third thing to consider is how many passengers will be transported with the wheelchair van?   Rear entry vans can accommodate more people because many have fold down seat options in the middle.  However, there are some side-entry vans that have jump seats in the middle as well.  This question goes hand in hand with the position of the wheelchair; look at the family as a whole and how you will be using your van.

Price
Lastly let’s talk money.  In many cases rear entry vans are less expensive because they are geared towards caregivers so many of the conversion features are manual.  However, in the last couple of years there have been some reasonably priced side entry manual wheelchair conversions that are a great option as well.  

One more thing to think about is to try before you buy.  At Ability Center, we offer wheelchair vans for rent. Try a side-entry one weekend and a rear-entry the next weekend.  Many times, we will put the cost of the rental towards the van you purchase from us.  Our goal is to make sure you have the right van for your family.

Call us at 866-405-6806 or email info@abilitycenter.com or visit us online @

http://www.AbilityCenter.com