Page 4 - The Mobility Project, April 2020

mobility news
Should You
Park Here?
Ongoing Campaigns Highlight the Challenges of Finding & Using Accessible Parking
In a 2018 survey, BraunAbility — a manufacturer of acces- sible automotive vehicles — reported that 74 percent of survey respondents had seen accessible parking spaces being misused. And 42 percent of people don’t know that the blue-striped regions alongside many accessible parking spaces are “no parking” areas.
While BraunAbility noted that 1 in 6 accessible parking spaces must be van accessible, teaching drivers what those blue stripes mean is an ongoing challenge.
Blue-striped areas are reserved for accessible vehicles to deploy their wheelchair/mobility ramps. When that blue-striped area isn’t available — because that space is being occupied by other vehicles, shopping carts, etc. — an accessible vehicle can’t function, and drivers/ passengers are unable to enter or exit the vehicles.
That’s why parking in a blue-striped area is illegal, even for cars and drivers/passengers who have acces- sible parking placards.
In its ongoing effort to raise awareness of the function
and importance of honoring those blue stripes, BraunAbility recently partnered with Speedway, Ind., to develop and trial a three-dimensional parking design at the front door of the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The “optical illusion” design (above) was created by artist Tracy Lee Stum.
Staci Kroon, CEO of BraunAbility, said of the project, “The purpose of creating a 3D accessible parking design is to bring attention to just one of the many everyday issues faced by people who use wheelchairs that goes largely unnoticed by the general public. People with mobility challenges deserve to live in a society that is inclusive of every mobility level, yet today, more than one in three people show an unconscious bias against those with a disability. That’s higher than levels of bias on the basis of gender or race.”
For more information on accessibility issues, or to join The Driving Force Community started by BraunAbility, visit https://tinyurl.com/drivingforceaccess. 
Sunrise Medical Acquires Oracing Wheelchairs
Sunrise Medical has acquired Oracing, a leading Spanish designer and manufacturer of innovative sports and made-to-measure wheel- chairs, as well as E-Mobility power products.
Thomas Babacan, Group CEO of Sunrise Medical, said in a news announcement, “Sports and E-Mobility are exciting, yet still very fragmented market spaces with great growth potential. Oracing complements and strengthens our portfolio.” He added that Sunrise would look to “further accelerate”
4 2020 | THE MOBILITY PROJECT
Oracing’s growth.
Felipe Garcia, who founded
Oracing, added, “We are thrilled by this transaction. I have started Oracing to pursue my dream to regain freedom. We try to find the
best solutions to solve the daily mobility challenges for quadriplegic people like me. The business has been developing well, and we are at the point to look at our next phase of growth.”
Oracing chairs join Sunrise’s existing stable of Quickie, RGK, and Empulse ultralightweight manual wheelchairs and components.
Oracing manufactures and provides everyday wheelchairs, sports chairs, handcycles, and power-assist systems. The company is headquartered in Valencia, Spain.
TheMobilityProject.com
PARKING SPOT: COURTESY BRAUNABILITY. ORACING: COURTESY SUNRISE MEDICAL