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Conversions aid handicapped drivers by Susan Bammer
When Jeff Wicina wants to get into his van, he opens a gadget that looks like a gas cap. It contains a series of switches. He flips one switch which automatically opens the door. Another switch then lowers a lift.
Wicina backs his wheelchair onto the lift where he flips another control that raises him to the level of the van. He then moves his wheelchair behind the steering wheel. To the right of him is a control panel with another series of switches that regulate the automatic systems in his GMC van. He flips one of these which lowers the floor of the van to put Wicina in a better driving position. Another switch locks Wicina in and then he starts the van.
Wicina, Lenexa junior, is one of many KU students with a disability who have converted a car or van to their needs.
"When I first found out I was a quadriplegic I didn't know if we was going to drive so the only thing we had put in was the lift," Wicina said. "Now there's so many additional wires in the engine that an ordinary mechanic can't work on it anymore. We have to go to the company that originally converted it."
that originate.
Because of the specification, people don't realize what all goes into the conversion of a car.
"You don't just go in and say I want you to convert my van—I'm a quad." Wicina car. "You have to sit down for two days with a therapist and the people who are customizing your van and go through every detail with everything you're going to need."
going to New Nichols, transportation coordinator for Independence Inc., an organization that helps people with disabilities, said that there is no place in Lawrence that convents cars. Most of the time people in the area either go to Handicap Conversions in Kansas City, Mo., or Knowles Patient Supply in Topeka.
Larry Wenger, owner of Handicap Conversions, Inc., said he can convert any car as long as it has power steering, power brakes, and an automatic transmission.
Cost of the conversion depends on the individual needs, Wenger said. A left front gas pedal costs about $85, a right arm control costs $450, and a more detailed conversion can run anywhere from $20,000-$15,000.
When Wicina became a quadriplegic, he had no idea how advanced conversions had become. Now that he's been driving for two years, he can't imagine what it would be like to rely on someone else or a shuttle to take him places.
Center offers auto repair class by Kris Grommesh
Late one night while driving down a highway in South Kansas City, Lisa Hegwer ran over a bolt from a nearby construction site. Pow! Hegwer, Overland Park junior, had a flat tire and did not know what to do.
Hegwer is one of many people who aren't educated about their automobiles and wish they were.
and wish they were.
"For those people who would like to learn how to make minor car repairs there is help," said Sherrill Robinson, graduate assistant at the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center.
The Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center offers a three-week seminar entitled, "Auto Mechanics for Beginners," taught by Byron Edmondson, owner of Byron's Autohaus, 906 Vermont. The classes are designed for people who would like to learn such repair and maintenance fundamentals as changing a tire.
changing the oil and winterizing your car
"I have been teaching the class for approximately four or five years and feel it is a very positive program," said Edmondson.
The automobile education seminar for the spring 1989 semester will begin on April 5th and you may register at the Emily Hall Resource Center in Strong Hall.
Robinson said the classes seem to be popular with both men and women, but in order to keep the classes small and informative, the registration is limited to approximately 15 people.
An automobile education class is also taught at Lawrence High School.
The 10-week basic automobile information night class entitled, "Beginning Automobile Mechanics" is taught by Gary Campbell and is designed for people who want to learn how to make minor repairs.
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