The Accessible RV Life on the Road


Over the last five years, the view from Gabby Richards’ workstation has featured some of the most iconic scenery rural Oregon and Washington have to offer. From the evergreen-studded hills of the Cascades to the craggy shorelines of the Pacific coast, Richards, a C5-6 complete quad, has soaked in the sights from a customized workspace in the passenger seat of a fully accessible Newmar Canyon Star motorhome. She and her spouse, Christie Martin, bought the motorhome so they could start the Cascadia Mobile Legal Clinic and bring free and low-cost legal services to senior living facilities and community centers throughout the Northwest.

Richards spent a decade as an editor in the Washington Post’s sports department before getting her law degree in 2011, but she found her initial stint as a commercial litigator unfulfilling. “Going into the office at nine in the morning and staying there for however long just didn’t appeal to me,” she says.

Looking for more hands-on work with clients, she teamed up with Martin, who had been practicing elder law. The pair presciently started a virtual practice in 2015, which sparked the idea of a mobile clinic. Among the benefits was the ability to travel comfortably and save on traditional office costs, which made it easier to provide pro bono services.

“We’ve never had a regular brick and mortar office,” says Richards. “And we had the flexibility to craft our own schedules. So we started asking ourselves: ‘What would it be like to have a wheelchair accessible RV?’”

It’s a question that people with disabilities are increasingly asking themselves. The appeal of an accessible, convenient life on the road and the flexibility and freedom that comes with it has been growing for years, and the coronavirus pandemic only added fuel to the tank.

Up until recently, accessible RVs were like unicorns: rarely seen and nearly impossible to find. Most accessibility features were of the custom variety, where people purchased motorhomes off the assembly line and had them modified by the manufacturer or bought a used RV and had it retrofitted by a third party. This led to a range of one-off rigs with differing levels of accessibility that only became available when the owner grew tired of it, fell on hard times or died.

Thankfully, the industry is slowly waking up to the need for more accessible options and responding with exciting new vehicles and adaptations that allow wheelchair users to live out their dreams of life on the road.

On the Hunt

Richards is quick to admit that the couple endured a steep learning curve as they began to explore their mobile options. “We didn’t know anything,” she says. “We started going to RV shows at expo centers, RV lots and other places like Camping World, thinking that we would have to modify one and looking at what size would work best for us.”

In 2010, my family and I were in the same predicament. We scoured the internet looking for accessible full-size Class A RVs to rent or buy when we were planning a trip to Southern California — for a full explanation of different classes and options, see “How to Choose an RV“.  We found few options that would fit my accessibility needs that weren’t halfway across the country. We eventually opted to purchase a 2005 Fleetwood Pace Arrow coach with a 23-foot-long slide-out on one side that would allow my power chair to pass freely from front to back.

Unfortunately, the location of the motorized awning only afforded us a small window to retrofit as an entryway, so we had to bypass the wider footprint of a traditional platform lift and settle for the more compact Superarm, an alternative lift mechanism that utilizes straps or chains to pick up the chair and swing it in or out of the cabin. As a C3-4 quad in a 600-plus-pound power chair, it made for a pretty sketchy ride, one that never got comfortable over the years.

Part of hunting for an accessible RV is understanding that what works for one person might not work for another. While the Superarm wasn’t a good fit for me, it proved ideal for Para-badminton competitor Amy Burnett. “I loved it,” she says. Her fiancé, Robert, was on his sixth motorhome when they met in 2013. Installing the minimalist lift inside the existing door frame made it easy for Burnett, a T4 para, to gain access to the 43-foot Newell coach, but getting in was only half the battle, as the 1996 model had no pop-outs to expand the floor plan.  “The square footage was something like 324 feet, but only about 200 of it was accessible,” says Burnett. The pair still managed to make do with the confined spaces and took to living in the RV seven months out of the year, splitting time between Mesa, Arizona, and Manhattan Beach, California, for her training in 2015.

Hoping to avoid having to make similar concessions, Richards and Martin set their sights on the Newmar line, as the company had built a reputation for accessibility after delivering the first made-to-be-accessible model.

A Driving Force Behind Accessibility

Newmar rolled out its first accessible floor plan with the Canyon Star 3911 in 2012. The company had been working with veteran race car driver Sam Schmidt, a C3-5 quad, to develop the long-overdue product. “As with many things with disability, it’s a function of necessity,” says Schmidt of the slow evolution of accessible coaches. “Necessity is the mother of invention, right?”

He and his team started exploring the idea of accessible RVs soon after his 2000 crash. Within 14 months of his injury, he founded Sam Schmidt Motorsports (now Arrow McLaren SP) and wrestled with the logistics of travel between 17 different race tracks during the height of the race season. “Sometimes our tracks are pretty remote in nature, so the motorhome is really the way to go,” he says.

Newmar’s initial offering featured a Braun wheelchair lift, a large roll-in shower, lower counter top heights, a wheelchair-friendly dinette, and system control switches located at a height that a wheelchair user could reach. “Probably the best design element that I have not been able to find in anything else is the fact that it’s got 30 inches clear from front to back when the slide-outs are in,” he says.

Schmidt gets a brand-new accessible Newmar every year to use as a home base during race season and has provided the manufacturer with feedback that has been incorporated into later models. “Sam has fed back ideas to improve and enhance this model, from creating a powered bed base that can vary in height, power window shades and the importance of shower size versus the size of the bed, for just a few examples,” says John Sammut, Newmar’s vice president of sales and marketing.

When Richards and Martin stumbled upon a 2014 Newmar Canyon Star with only 6,000 miles on it for sale not far from their home, they went to look. They had very little intention to buy anything right away, but that proved to be short-lived. “It was the first time I’d ever been inside an accessible RV,” says Richards. “I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. We ended up buying it that day.”

Bringing the Comforts of Home on the Road

Traveling as a wheelchair user can be cumbersome for a multitude of reasons. From air travel catastrophes destroying wheelchairs to the crapshoot that comes with staying in “accessible” hotels, leaving home for an extended period of time is always a bit of a trust fall.

Richards says the biggest advantage of RV life is that it eliminates the uncertainty that comes with relying on outside resources. “It’s just better to take our home with us wherever we go,” she says. “It’s my bed, it’s my sink, it’s my shower. It’s everything that I’m comfortable with. And we’ve been able to make the changes to it so that it’s really, really comfortable.”

Beyond the wheelchair-friendly features that came standard with her RV, Richards has modified the interior over the years to make it an ideal space for work and life by replacing the passenger seat with the custom workstation, making small adjustments to the cabinets and dinette for extra access and incorporating a collapsible lift to assist with transfers into bed. “I use a Molift Smart. You can’t roll it under the bed so you kind of wedge it in the corner of the bed, and we use slippery sheets.”

Schmidt points out that the ample cabinet space inside an RV and cavernous cargo bays underneath allow you to bring far more supplies than traditional travel. “You have the opportunity for better care, because you generally have all your stuff, and you have it the way you want it,” he says.

“I own two of everything I love so I don’t have to pack and drag it back and forth,” says Burnett, who recently upgraded to a 47-foot Newell. The new coach is a portable palace with almost 600 square feet of livable space, a “cartridge” style lift that hides in a bay below the stairs and a massive closet. “I’m super excited. I get to ride around in Shangri-La.”

Convenience Comes with a Cost

As accommodating as Class A vehicles can be for life on the road, these self-contained homes come with a lot of upkeep. Freshwater tanks, propane for cooking and heating, multiple wastewater tanks and power generators all need monitoring, and not all of those systems are easily accessed by someone using a chair.

“People ask me where my favorite place to travel is, and I tell them the United States of America,” says Amy Burnett.

“People ask me where my favorite place to travel is, and I tell them the United States of America,” says Amy Burnett.
“People ask me where my favorite place to travel is, and I tell them the United States of America,” says Amy Burnett.

Once on the road, RVs are less than ideal for impromptu runs to the grocery store, which means you will need another mode of transportation if you want to explore beyond the spot you’ve parked your behemoth. Unless you plan to park relatively close to a car rental, that means towing a vehicle, either flat or on a dolly.

Most newer model vans’ transmissions are not suitable for flat-towing behind motorhomes without costly modifications that can void vehicle warranties, so Richards opts to flat-tow a Jeep Rubicon. She transfers into it with the Molift, loads the lift and a smaller, foldable power chair on a rack attached to the Jeep to take to their destination, and repeats the process in reverse when they arrive. “It’s a lot of moving parts, but it works for now,” she says.

Burnett flat-tows her 2011 Honda Odyssey behind the Newell, with a trailer for her fiancé’s motorcycle attached to the van. Known as triple towing, this is only allowed in 27 states, so the van and coach need to be driven separately in those where it is prohibited.

The sizable machines need to be stored when not in use, and storage spaces add an additional cost. Richards’ RV is so big they can’t even get it on the narrow street adjacent to their Portland home. Plus, there’s a lot of prep required to get them road ready. “As much as we try to make everything turnkey, it’s pretty much impossible for us to leave the same day that we pack it up because it just takes so long to put everything in it,” she says.

Home Is Where You Park It

Beyond the logistical perks and pitfalls that come with RV travel, Richards says the ultimate upside of RV life will always be the ability to expand your definition of home. She and Martin gravitate toward the more outdoorsy, the better. “We prefer state parks. We love campgrounds as opposed to being in RV parks,” she says. The pair also does a lot of off-grid camping, known as boondocking.

In addition to their Mobile Clinic travels, Richards says they spend about a third of the year on the road. They escape Oregon’s soggy winters in Arizona, and when they come back to Oregon, they volunteer as hosts at some state parks. “I guess that checks the box of my desire to be a park ranger and have the vest and the hat,” she quips.

The length of Burnett’s coach precludes visiting many state parks because of size limitations, so she and her fiancée rely on RV parks and other designated camp areas. “We are fans of Kampgrounds of America, and we are also the people who will stay the night in a rest area,” she says.

Burnett spends a lot of time competing internationally, but appreciates that RV life allows her to explore her favorite place of all. “People ask me where my favorite place to travel is and I tell them the United States of America. Each and every state is different. It’s beautiful and it’s something new every direction you go.”

More Options Enter the Fray

In Jan. 2019, Winnebago launched its Accessibility Enhanced models at the Tampa RV Super Show before announcing the acquisition of Newmar later that year. The initial AE units that went to market were still being modified by hand, but in 2021 they went into full line production. That saves Winnebago production costs, which translates to reduced sticker prices.

Despite being acquired by Winnebago, Newmar still produces its own line. Its 2021 Mobility Lineup boasts being the world’s largest fleet of wheelchair accessible Class A coaches, offering five different accessible models (three diesel pushers, one front engine diesel and one gas model) ranging from 38-43 feet. For 2022, they are paring the fleet down to just two diesel pushers and one gas model.

Schmidt says having more accessible options in production will expand the resale market, creating more opportunities for folks with disabilities to make their RV dreams more of a reality. “The prices have come down on resales, and there might also be some rentals available in the market soon if not already. That would be ideal because in a perfect world, people could rent-to-own or try it out in the form of a rental before having to make a big commitment.”

I was looking on RVproperty.com when I happened to stumble upon a custom modified 2008 Winnebago Vista 32K for sale an hour away from my home. With a Ricon platform lift, roll-in shower, and SureHands ceiling tracking from the bathroom to the bedroom, it was an absolute perfect fit for my family to take another trip down to California and introduce our six-month-old to her 95-year-old great-grandmother. We dubbed it “The White Whale” for its plain exterior and spent three weeks covering more than 2,500 miles through five different states. As we did, I truly understood what Schmidt told me to be the best part about RV living: “It really gives you an opportunity to see the country and spend time with your family.”

Also This Month

How to Choose an RV
DIY Conversions
Keeping It Classy & Affordable in a Class C

Resources

• Newmar Mobility Lineup, newmarcorp.com/wheelchair-accessible
• Winnebago Accessibility Enhanced, winnebago.com/models/motorhomes/accessibility-enhanced
• RV Property, rvproperty.com/handicapped-rvs-for-sale
• Harvest Hosts, harvesthosts.com
• Handicapped Travel Club, handicappedtravelclub.com
• Accessible RVing North America, facebook.com/groups/accessiblerv


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