I have been diagnosed with LGMD and will have to eventually use a walker/motorized scooter to get around and will have to get rid of my 1984 Travel Trailer due to the narrow doors and three steps to enter as well as the small head.
I will need a camper that is usable for a person with limited mobility in the future. I have been looking and have not found anything available. Are there any handicapped campers and their spouses out there? If so what do you do to keep enjoying the life style?
I have always liked a Travel Trailers but am open to other RV's except 5th wheels and tent or foldout campers. I am also kind of adverse to slides due to the extra weight and complexity though I might have to bite the bullet on this.
Check with the various manufacturers of the brands you like. I have a nephew who is parapalegic and obviously confined to a wheelchair. He is a motorhome owner and loves to travel. He had a coach made by Monaco to accomodate his chair. Completely designed for him with hand controls up front, a chair lift at the center entry. When he was checking he found that most companies will enlarge the doorway and provide other accomodations to fit your needs. You might want to rethink the slide out aspect as the normal isles are quite narrow. The slide give much more room to maneuver a chair around. In my nephew's case he even had the kitchen counters lowered and knee space under the sink and cooktop, and a very nice roll in shower. All this comes at a price, but he found buying new and having it built was better than refitting an older coach. Keep checking around, I'm sure you can find something that works.
Tom & Barb
'98 Winnebago 32' Brave, Chev P32 Chassis
Windsport (Four Winds International) used to make a rig that is handicap accessible. I'm not sure they still do, but I believe it was a 34W when they did make it. You might look around for used.
Good luck in finding something, but I'm sure you will be successful.
Pat
May the road rise with you, the wind be always at your back.
Trailer Life magazine recently had a small article in it's "news" section that stated that a manufacturer was going to begin marketing a line of TTs specially designed for handicapped use, with power wheelchair ramps, etc. I will look through my recent issues and if I find the article I will post the name of the manufacturer here for you.
And last weekend, when we took our travel trailer in for furnace replacement under warranty, we spotted a trailer on our dealers lot with a manual side ramp, like the ones toy haulers use. Being disabled myself, and facing the same situation one of these days, this intrigued us enough to take a look, as the ramp door was down and the trailer was open, evidently waiting for the buyers to do the walk-thru and pick it up.
It evidently had been special ordered. It had the side ramp door into the front bedroom, a fold-up bed which allowed wheelchair access, and instead of a narrow door into the bedroom, it had a wide opening to allow wheelchair access into the living area. The bathroom door was extra-wide also, but it was blocked by a technician's toolbox and we didn't open the door to see if it had railings installed on the walls. The dinette was a unique design with seating at the rear of the table along the wall and the ends of the table, and a wheelchair could be rolled up to and under the the aisle side of the table. We didn't get to ask anyone about the trailer, as they were very short-handed that day, and had a lot of people on the lot looking at RVs. But this appeared to me to be a custom-ordered unit. It was not a high-line trailer, it had ordinary aluminum siding, and it wasn't all that big, maybe 27-28' long. I don't remember the brand.
It might be possible to order a toy hauler with a custom interior to allow use for the handicapped, but of course, if the ramp door wasn't power operated someone would have to open the ramp door for the handicapped person to enter and exit with a wheelchair or walker.
2003 GMC Sierra Crew HD; 6.0L; Prodigy
2006 Thor Tundra 30RL-DSL; Reese Strait-Line & Dual-cam HP
2001 Honda Elite Scooter
Jim & Gayle Bryant
Murphy's Law: "Anything that CAN happen, WILL."
Bryant's Law: "31 years of RVing? Probably already HAS."
Sunline Coach Company has begun building what it believes is the first production-line travel trailer designed specifically for people with disabilities. Designed with the assistance of wheelchair athlete Mike King, the SUNLINE ADVANCER 20 features a standard ramp or optional lift; a 42-inch-wide entrance door; a roll-in shower; a portable table to create a barrier-free open floorplan; strategically placed assist bars; lowered light switches and other key controls. The advancer is available in one 20' floorplan for a base retail price in the high $20,000s. For more information, call 800-827-6406, or log on to www.sunlinerv.com .
I hope this helps. I figure there are some RV manufacturers that would be willing to alter a standard floorplan if a handicapped customer requested it, but what the charges would be is beyond my ability to guess.
I had to edit my post to tell you that I tried the web address given for Sunline RV and it did not work. It is possible that their server is temporarily down, as it's 2 A.M. right now. It may work later.
You can also do a Google search on "handicapped rv" and find several websites of interest. Several van and motorhome manufacturers build or modify existing RVs for handicapped use, including Foretravel, Inc., in Nacogdoches, TX., in my part of the country.
The simplest route would be a Toy Hauler. The first owner of our rig bought it to use with their handicapped mother. You will need someone who can open the ramp door unless you can find one that has a power tailgate.
Tim
"Okay, I admit it, the only thing I'm really good at is being me."
Wife can walk some (hundreds of feet), so she's ok inside TT, and we carry a ramp for the TT door entry. We use a toyhauler with a big Palmer outdoor scooter in the rear, towed by our SUV with a little indoor scooter in back. Works for us. Note most toyhauler ramps are STEEP, but some are electric and stay level like an elevator.
If we can help, send me a pm.
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Lovely German Shepherd.
1999 Mercedes ML320 TV
2003 Wanderer 187TB Toybox (3620# UVW, 4800# loaded) Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories. I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
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I have been looking and have not found anything available. Are there any handicapped campers and their spouses out there? If so what do you do to keep enjoying the life style? 
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