Quadriplegic builds van business for disabled people
For another customer, the trouble came when she tried to help her husband from his chair into a car, but wasn't strong enough.
These are situations Goodyear understands well.
"Having a van is so important to having a life," said Goodyear, a quadriplegic and the owner of Wheelchair Getaways franchises. "I have so many customers who said, 'I can't go out.' They said it's like letting them out of jail when they have a vehicle that they can get in and out of easily."
An accident at 17 tossed Goodyear from the back of a car, breaking his neck. It paralyzed him from chest down, leaving him with limited use of his arms and no use of his fingers.
"When you're 17, you don't have perspective to understand that life goes on," said Goodyear, now 44.
But Goodyear managed to parlay his injury into business success.
He opened franchises of Wheelchair Getaways, a van-rental company, in southeast
"When someone says, 'I just got injured; it's my first time with a power chair,' you just feel the sense of relief in their voice when they know somebody else knows what's going on and can really guide them," said Goodyear, of Tequesta, Fla.
It was a trip to
He couldn't find anywhere to rent a van, and calls to medical-supply companies, rehab centers and local chambers of commerce didn't help. Those places did, however, say they'd often get calls with the same requests.
He spoke to a friend about starting a van-rental company in
Meanwhile, his friend had seen a magazine ad for Wheelchair Getaways.
"I said, 'Why reinvent the wheel?' " he recalled. "I ended up being the second franchise."
So he started the business in February 1991, with the rights to
Altogether, the company has more than 20 rental vans and three full-time employees.
The company delivers vans to people's homes or drops vans off at the airport.
"The customer service is very specialized," he said. "It's not a situation where you can throw someone the keys and say, 'Your car is in A9.' You have to show them the safety equipment. It takes a significant amount of time to make sure you're comfortable."
It was while trying to grow his rental fleet that Goodyear met Rod Alt in 2003.
Goodyear wanted Alt's company, Movin' On Mobility, to customize a couple of vans. Within a year, Alt would buy out Goodyear's partner in the rental business and Goodyear bought a share in the customization company.
Movin' On Mobility brings in far greater revenue than the rental company.
Revenues for Goodyear's Wheelchair Getaways was nearly $600,000 last year, a number that has been holding steady for the past few years. The Movin' On Mobility locations he has a stake in brought in about $1.6 million last year.
"People can rent before they buy," Alt said. "If you get a new injury, you may just need one for a few months to go to the doctor. When they start to recover, then they might need the vehicle for every day."
Of the partnership, Alt said: "It's probably easier for customers to relate to Andrew. People tend to kind of associate with him because of his disability. They know he can relate to what they're feeling. I'm probably more technical because I've done all the work, but Andrew has lived it, so we're a very good fit."
When people have questions about vans, Goodyear drops by their house to show them his own. He also goes to rehabilitation centers to help market the business.
On a recent morning, Goodyear's van sits parked near two of the company's rental vans, outside the storefront in an industrial park along Interstate 95 in
Goodyear eases into the driver's seat, using his teeth to help grip the seat belt and push it into place. The hand controls allow him to use his left hand to push down to his waist for gas and forward to brake. He slips his hand into a "tri-pin" to steer.
His elbow hits the Digitone, with different beeps indicating functions: a turn signal, horn, high beams or wipers.
Goodyear would like eventually to sell the business and focus on raising money, even starting a foundation to donate wheelchairs and vans.
For now, he continues to speak about his disability, talking to "the newly injured." He still remembers the people who came to speak to him after his injury.
He takes on the role of guest lecturer at Florida Atlantic University, helping nursing students learn about spinal-cord injuries, taking them to his house to show them how he modified it.
And he coaches 12-, 13-, and 14-year-old boys in the Pop Warner football leagues, trying to help them learn "life lessons," he said. "It's about never giving up and having a winning attitude. There will always be adversity."
Jennifer Lebovich
McClatchy Newspapers
The Seattle Times Company
'Gizmo House' residents helped by technology
But future of home for disabled uncertain as
Doors and lights work by pressing a touch-screen that looks like a giant remote control. The height of the kitchen table is also controlled by the panel, as are the curtains. There is a rotating shelf system that acts as a pantry.
This is Gizmo House, where six people with multiple developmental disabilities live somewhat independently. Operated by the
Jim McGuire, the center's executive director, said the deficit this year for Gizmo House and four other homes his group operates will be at least $600,000, and he estimates he will need to find an additional $1.6 million to run the homes for 2008-2009.
He's not sure how that will be made up.
The state's Agency for Persons with Disabilities said all providers are facing cuts.
"They are going to have to make choices and changes, but hopefully they will survive," said Melanie Etters, an ADP spokeswoman.
Gizmo House is the cheapest to maintain of the
The technology, by Crestron Electronics Inc., is custom designed and programmed at a cost of $60,000 installed. Touch-screens alone cost $2,000 each.
"There are no two systems that are alike," said Jeff Singer, the Rockleigh, N.J., company's marketing and communications director.
The touch panel sends commands to a central operating system, which can control or automate virtually anything in the home. It allows residents to do more for themselves.
"They don't have to rely on the staff to get their snacks, to open doors," said Stacey Verity, the house manager.
On a recent rainy summer afternoon, Bennie and Lennie Merchant, 41-year-old twins born with cerebral palsy, show off the gadgets.
The brothers have multiple disabilities, but Bennie is able to open his bathroom door by pressing on the touch-screen attached to the lap tray on his wheelchair. In the kitchen, Lennie mixes cake batter with a large metallic spoon while nurse Beverly Prescott holds the bowl. Then he demonstrates how to cook corn on the induction range with Verity's help, even though he says he doesn't like corn.
Bennie turns on the TV to watch the Rachel Ray cooking show by pressing his touch-screen on his wheelchair.
All the residents congregate in the kitchen, sometimes causing a traffic jam of wheelchairs as two others set the table and get ready for dinner.
Through the use of the radio frequency and wireless technology, residents control the TVs by pressing an icon of their favorite channels. Sometimes the ability to turn on the lights may cause confusion, like when one resident shut off the living room lights from her bedroom by accident.
"Unfortunately the technology is still fairly expensive to incorporate. However, it's a perfect product for people with these needs, people who are severely handicapped," said Bruce Wrobel, who helped install the system.
For the phones, Wrobel said he took an audio conferencing system and gave the residents the ability to use a handsfree autodial phone system. They can call their six favorite people by hitting the icon on the phone, which automatically turns on the speaker phone.
"One of the things is maintenance because they can be pretty harsh on the equipment. It's like anything. After you use a car for eight or 10 years, obviously things break and need to be fixed," Wrobel said. "It's certainly not at the end of its service life, but it's getting on in age."
For 44-year-old Linda Cothran, who has been living at Gizmo House since it opened, there's more to lose than gadgets and gizmos if the house is shuttered.
"We're a family," she said.
And no one can replace that.
Lisa Orkin Emmanuel
The Associated Press
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27052799/
Actors With Disabilities Seek More Roles
“We are virtually invisible,” Robert David Hall, a regular on “CSI,” said at a news conference on Monday announcing a plan to expand media-industry employment of people with disabilities. Mr. Hall, who walks on prosthetics and plays Dr. Al Robbins on “CSI,” said he played one of only three disabled characters in recurring television roles. At briefings in
Michael Cieply
Compiled by Dave Itzkoff
New York Times
