Congratulations goes out to The Mobility Resource‘s very own Jewel Kats for making the cover of Disability Today! You can read the issue here. Great work Jewel!
Jewel Kats Featured on the Cover of Disability Today
Author Archives: Chris Miller
For the Love of Mom: 8 Stories to Inspire
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The 
Mother
7 Confessions of a Special Needs Mom
Disability Doesn’t Have to Dominate the Mother-Daughter Relationship
The Barracuda Momma: Celebrating Mom’s Gift of Sacrifice 
What two-thirds of Americans Don’t Know About Strokes: 13 Alarming Facts
About 795,000 people in the U.S. will have a stroke this year. Yet most people cannot identify stroke warning signs or risk factors and most of those strokes are preventable–some studies indicate that up to 80 percent of strokes can be prevented.
Senior man having a stroke. Courtesy: Science Photo Library
According to the National Stroke Association, more than two-thirds of the U.S. population cannot recognize more than one stroke warning sign. With National Stroke Awareness Month here, we’re doing our part to know the facts and raise awareness.
What is a stroke?
According to National Stroke Association, a stroke or “brain attack” occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs.
Disability often follows a stroke.
When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, memory and movement. Certain people effected may have to depend on a wheelchair accessible vehicle for transportation. The potentially paralyzing effects of a stroke depends on where the stroke occurred in the brain can how much of the brain is damaged, according to stroke.org.
For example, someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor problems such as weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than two-thirds of survivors will have some type of disability, according to stroke.org.
13 alarming facts about stroke in the U.S.
1. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death, killing over 133,000 people each year, and a leading cause of serious, long-term adult disability.
2. There are an estimated 7 million stroke survivors in the U.S. over age 20.
3. Approximately 795,000 strokes will occur this year, one occurring every 40
seconds, and taking a life approximately every four minutes.
4. Stroke can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of race, sex or age.
5. From 1998 to 2008, the annual stroke death rate fell approximately 35
percent, and the actual number of deaths fell by 19 percent.
6. Approximately 55,000 more women than men have a stroke each year.
7. African Americans have almost twice the risk of first-ever stroke compared
with caucasions.
8. There are two types of a stroke.
- Ischemic stroke occurs when arteries are blocked by blood clots or by the gradual build-up of plaque and other fatty deposits. About 87 percent of all strokes are ischemic.
- Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain breaks leaking blood into the brain. Hemorrhagic strokes account for thirteenpercent of all strokes, yet are responsible for more than thirty percent of all stroke deaths.
9. Two million brain cells die every minute during stroke, increasing risk of
permanent brain damage, disability or death. Recognizing symptoms and
acting FAST to get medical attention can save a life and limit disabilities.
10. The prevalence of transient ischemic attacks (TIA – “mini strokes”) increases
with age. Up to 40 percent of all people who suffer a TIA will go on to
experience a stroke.
11. A stroke occurs in about six of every 100,000 children. That rate is even higher for infants; around one in every 4,000.
12. Women are twice as likely to die from stroke than breast cancer annually.
13. The estimated direct and indirect cost of stroke in the United States in 2010 is $73.7 billion.
* Source: National Stroke Association
Nissan To Create Integrated Mobility Solution For NV200 Taxi With Braunability Partnership
Wheelchair Accessible “Taxi of Tomorrow” Headed to Streets of New York, Features Manual Fold-Flat Ramp and Industry-First Integrated Restraint System
By Megan Wegner, Marketing Communications Manager, BraunAbility
NEW YORK (April 1, 2013) – As Nissan’s innovative NV200 taxi gets ready to take to the streets of New York City this coming fall, another crucial part of the “Taxi of Tomorrow” program was unveiled today at the New York International Auto Show – the wheelchair accessible NV200 Mobility NY Taxi.
Working in conjunction with BraunAbility, the Indiana-based market leader in wheelchair accessible vehicles and wheelchair lifts, the Nissan NV200 Mobility Taxi features a rear-entry ramp and an industry-first integrated restraint system that provides safe and quick securement of wheelchairs.
“With more than 600,000 people hailing New York taxis every day, it is important that the NV200 taxi be able to serve everyone, including those with disabilities,” said Joe Castelli, vice president, Commercial Vehicles and Fleet, Nissan North America Inc. “Nissan selected Braun as its mobility partner because of its deep experience and proven engineering capabilities. Braun has worked side-by-side with us since January 2012 – when the New York taxi was just a collection of computer drawings – and the final design is everything we hoped for and more.”
The Nissan Mobility Taxi looks like and functions like a standard NV200 taxi until the mobility functionality is needed. It’s a simple process. After pulling into a safe space at the curb, the taxi operator flips down the 2nd row seat back and pulls a release handle to tumble the seat forward. Next, after opening the wide rear doors, the operator pulls the fold-flat wheelchair ramp out and unfolds it and then loads the passenger. The wheelchair is secured with front and rear tie-down belts and the passenger is fitted with the lap and shoulder belt.
Once the passenger is in place, the ramp folds up and stows in a vertical position. The steps are reversed for exiting the NV200 once the final destination is reached. Then the operator stows the ramp and returns the second row seat to its normal position.
Taxi version of the NV200 for New York's Taxicab of Tomorrow competition (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The wheelchair ramp is 30 inches wide, with a ramp angle of 8.6 degrees – exceeding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. It is 72 inches in length and has a load rating of 800 pounds, 200 pounds above the ADA minimum.
“The mobility design meets or exceeds all ADA requirements for accessibility,” said Castelli. “The rear-entry ramp is safe and well-suited for the congested streets of New York City, eliminating the need for wheelchair users to cross traffic in order to enter or exit the vehicle.”
Nissan has been working with the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission for two years to deliver the safest and most comfortable taxi ever to be on the streets of New York, including a total of eight airbags to ensure maximum protection of both the driver and occupants. The Nissan NV200 Taxi will feature unprecedented innovation and vehicle features to the 13,000-strong taxi fleet. Powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, the Nissan NV200 is designed to reduce carbon emissions and enhance fuel efficiency across the entire taxi fleet as old models are replaced.
The Nissan NV200 is available in more than 40 countries globally, including Japan and Europe, where the wheelchair accessible models are already on the market.
Shhh… Quiet Drive is Here
Mobility has never sounded better.
BraunAbility is excited to introduce the new Quiet Drive system – a new technology that helps eliminate the unwanted road and cabin noise in our wheelchair vans.
For the past two years, BraunAbility engineers have researched the acoustic properties of a wheelchair van. They’ve tested solutions at the advanced engineering facilities of Chrysler and Ford. The results? An up to 25% overall reduction in wheelchair van noise.
Here’s how it works:
- Primary weather seals are supplemented with secondary noise-blocking weather seals.
- Noise-blocking material that stops sound before it enters the cabin is strategically placed throughout the vehicle.
- High-performance noise-absorbing materials are placed inside interior panels and open spaces in the vehicle.
- The exhaust system was re-engineered to reduce noise and vibration.
The new technology is now standard on every BraunAbility wheelchair accessible van – because mobility should not come at the cost of an enjoyable ride.
Schedule a demo at your local wheelchair van dealer today. Call 1-866-711-7770 now.
