Hack 1
Get Into Any Kind of Vehicle

Kary Wright (above), a power wheelchair user, has an accessible van that he uses for his daily driving, but there are times he’d prefer to just go for a ride in his wife’s jeep. To get into the high vehicle, he uses a DIY ceiling lift. He fixed some ceiling track to the studs of his garage ceiling — though he says barn door track (also known as box rail) works just as well if you’re looking to save money. A WARN PullzAll electric winch does the lifting. Wright hooks onto a “C bracket” — a couple of pieces of square tubing shaped like an oversized horseshoe — that a friend welded. “Because of the shape, it’ll drop me right in the passenger’s seat,” he says. Total cost for the system, not including labor: around $400.

Hack 2
Maximize Floor Space with Garage Ceiling Storage

C. John Stanchina (right) decided to take advantage of his garage’s spacious ceiling by installing six Racor Pro PHL-1R Heavy Lifts ($127.99 each at Amazon.com) on the ceiling. To install them, he rented a vertical lift, threw his shower chair on it, transferred over, elevated and got to work. “It was nice to be able to use off-the-shelf technology built for the masses that you can co-opt for people with disabilities as well,” he says. Seth McBride relies on ceiling-mounted pulley lifts for the same purpose, affording him plenty of space for handcycles and sport chairs. His lifts of choice are made by RAD Cycle Products and only cost $38.99 each. “They’re super functional, even for a quad, and they reduce the clutter that inevitably makes getting around tricky,” says McBride.

Smart Garage Door Openers

Sectional garage doors are a great way to open your home to the outdoors, but until recently, opening and closing them from a wheelchair could be tricky. The new generation of smart garage door openers enables users to open and close sectional and tilt garage doors via app or voice control. Tailwind, Chamberlain and ismartgate all offer multiple affordable options compatible with the leading smart-home products. Gotailwind.com, ismartgate.com, chamberlain.com. From $29-179

Open Sesame

Open Sesame’s Model 133 residential door opener is the ideal at-home solution for wheelchair users who demand regular independent access. The Model 133 comes with a remote that can be easily mounted to your chair, and the ability to work with Amazon Alexa. Anna Pannell, a C1-2 quad, relies on the opener for easy access to two doors in her house. “I don’t have to have anybody open the door for me — I can just do it myself without asking. I can open the door for my family,” she says. opensesamedoor.com. $2,400

T-Pull Door Closer

Stop struggling to position your chair just right so you can reach the handle to close the door behind you. The T-Pull Door Closer is a simple and elegant solution. It attaches to the center of any door with no screws or complicated installation, and gives users an easy-to-grab handle that extends as the door is pulled — and retracts completely when not in use. t-pull.com. $39.95