Going the extra mile for the disabled

Oakland Tribune, Nov 12, 2008 by Anonymous

Barbara Jackson taxis her electric wheelchair up to the Wheelchair Getaways van, then presses a button on the remote control. The right-hand passenger door slides open, a ramp folds down and Jackson drives the wheelchair up the ramp into the passenger area. Finally, her husband Jim secures her wheelchair to the floor.

"This makes it so simple," the Daly City resident said. "You can be like an average person if you can get around and go where you want to go."

Not everyone would describe Jackson's boarding procedure as simple. But Wheelchair Getaways, a national wheelchair-accessible van rental franchise operated in San Mateo by Audrey Ribero, literally goes the extra mile to simplify travel for the disabled.